To Heal a Pirate's Heart
by Mystic Lady Fae
Summary: Jack's heart is now as unfeeling as gold. But a chance spotting before a raid might change all that...
1. Even a Good Man Can Grow Colder

Disclaimer: Do I really have to say it? It's obvious I don't own Jack or anything **_Pirates_** right?

AN: I'm back in the world of Captain Jack Sparrow! I thought I'd mention that I have no real knowledge of the way the Royal Navy and England did things back then, so please forgive any mistakes I may make now and in the future. Also, this will most definitely be **rated R** for _violence_ (not graphic but there's some death) and _sexual situations_. For some reason death doesn't bother people but sex does, so if you're not into sex, please skip the marked parts. Thanks, and enjoy!

**Chapter 1: Even a Good Man Can Grow Colder**:

_Jack's POV_:

"Cap'n?" called a hesitant male voice from the doorway of the cabin.

Jack suppressed the urge to growl and instead gave a quick glance up at his first mate. "What is it, Gibbs?" he snapped, irritated that his work had been interrupted.

"The crew was wondering where we were heading for this time," the older man softly replied, obviously nervous about intruding on his captain at a bad time.

"Well, I was thinking of heading off towards the coast of Costa Rica," Jack said, not looking up from the map in front of him. "I've heard the King is sending another shipment of gold and supplies towards the colonies on a merchant ship, so it should make for good plundering."

He could hear Mr. Gibbs mutter an agreement before hurriedly backing out of the room and closing the door. Sure he was sure he was alone, Jack once again focused his attention on his map.

* * *

_Mr. Gibbs' POV_: 

Walking nervously up on deck towards the mast, Mr. Gibbs took a good-sized swig from his small canteen, grateful for the relief such a small amount of alcohol could bring. Granted, this was no ordinary alcohol he carried around; this was some of the purist alcohol that could be found in the Caribbean, and was fairly expensive, especially for a pirate. On the other hand, with all of the plundering the Black Pearl had done of the last five years, the crew never lacked for gold, and freely spent it as soon as they hit land.

Sighing, Mr. Gibbs looked up at the crow's nest, pondering on whether to take over the lookout shift or not. Well, he had nothing better to do until the captain came out, so he might as well. Lunch was long over, dinner was even further away, and it was too bloody hot to do anything else, so no one else was on deck doing chores. In fact, the best post right now was the crow's nest, where there was a constant breeze and the shade of a canvas that had been put up there for that purpose. Shrugging again, Gibbs headed up the mast.

Once he'd relieved young Thomas of his post, Gibbs proceeded to think about his captain and friend. It had been five years since they'd gotten the Pearl back from Barbossa, and yet Captain Sparrow still didn't seem happy! At first, Gibbs had thought that it was because Jack was too surprised about being captain of the Black Pearl again. But as time wore on, that seemed less likely. Suddenly, after three years together, Jack had begun to insist that no one call him '_Jack'_, and ordered that they were to only address him as _Captain_ or _Captain Sparrow_. That had puzzled Gibbs to no end, but when he'd tried to talk to Jack about it, he'd only gotten yelled at and told to…well, to put it politely, he'd been told to _bugger off_ before he was made into a eunuch. Needless to say, he never mentioned the topic again. Still, in his own mind, he always referred to the man as _Jack_.

A heavy breeze carried the smell of the sea up to his nose, and a snap of the canvas above broke him out of his thoughts long enough to take a look down towards the deck. Jack had just emerged from the captain's cabin and was headed towards the helm, and Gibbs was glad that no one was above deck at that moment; Jack looked ready to hurt something at that moment, and Gibbs sincerely hoped that no one came up anytime soon. Deciding not to attract attention to himself, the first mate of the Black Pearl sat down and pulled out his flask for another sip.

The captain hadn't been the same since their visit in Port Joseph two years ago, which had been an extremely short two-day visit cut even shorter. They had docked late in the afternoon and the next morning, a furious Jack Sparrow had come storming up the gangplank, roaring for everyone to make ready to depart and that anyone not on the ship in two hours would be left behind. They'd been lucky that no one had gone far the previous night, or someone really _would_ have been left behind. Exactly two hours later, the ship was racing out of the port, two crewmembers literally hanging off the side from doing a flying-leap from the docks to the ship.

A third sip from the flask, and Gibbs' mind was off again on another train of thought. He didn't know what had changed his captain that night, but it had been a turn for the worst for the entire crew. Overnight, Jack Sparrow had gone from a caring and compassionate man to one of the coldest captains in the Caribbean. His carefree manner, which had previously been kind and forgiving to the crew, had changed to one of intense focus and determination. The only pleasure Jack now got was when he was plundering vessels and towns.

'_His temper's never been the same, either_,' Gibbs thought, looking out over the shimmering sea.

Over the past couple of years, Jack had taken to yelling at everyone over the smallest mistake. Parties, which had once been a nightly occurrence, were now a twice a month event (if they were lucky). The men were now given fewer days onshore, and if one of them brought a wench onto the Pearl and Jack found out, the poor girl was almost literally tossed off the ship and the offending crewman was forbidden to go on land until the Captain said he could. Eventually, some people had finally had enough and left. In fact, three weeks after Port Joseph, Annamaria had gotten fed up with getting yelled at. She had decided to give up not only her position as first mate on the Pearl, but to also give up on the Pearl itself. When the opportunity had presented itself, Anna had packed up her belongings and earnings and left in the middle of the night. Gibbs still got letters from her three times a year, claiming that she now had her own ship and was doing quite well, though not as well as the Pearl.

'_I don't think Jack's ever forgiven Annamaria for that_,' he thought, tucking his flask back into his jacket. '_He's never even gotten over the fact that people have abandoned the Pearl and him because they didn't like the way he ran things.'_

There were sad results in response to Jack's new temper problems, one of which was that the crew was now too terrified to even leave the ship without their Captain's approval. They obeyed him without question for even though they feared him, they all knew that Jack would always come through with their pay and protect them from the Royal Navy. Even though Captain Sparrow was now much colder and more hostile than before, he was still better than most other pirate captains in the Caribbean.

Enjoying the occasional breeze from the sea, Gibbs drifted off into a light doze.

* * *

_That Same Moment: Author's POV_: 

Some say that men are born with cold hearts; others claim that a heart can grow cold without love and warmth. Captain Jack Sparrow felt that both sides were right, but only the latter applied to him. He believed himself to generally be a good man at heart, but he was also a pirate, and pirates weren't supposed to care for more than themselves, their crew (if they were a captain), and their treasures. The two sides of his mind and heart had always seemed at constant war with one another, and neither side seemed to be winning out. Now, however, after nearly forty years of life without feeling the prick of Cupid's arrow within his chest, and a lesser trust in humanity (thanks to Barbossa and the mutiny), there was a clear winner: his pirate side was winning out, and warmth and kindness found less and less welcome there.

Three years after regaining the Pearl, he was here on precious his ship. It's astounding, really, how long he'd waited for this moment…to be sailing the seas on the Pearl, his very own ship once more, with a crew that would sooner cut their own throats than betray him. The treasures of the Isla de Muerta were fully his now, and lay hidden so that no one else could find it but him. What bits and baubles he had spent had been traded for rum and as much pleasurable company as he could stand during their days on land. And yet, his heart had begun to lose its warmth, his mind _screaming_ that there was something precious was missing. It obviously wasn't rum, riches or women…these he had in plenty of supply, no question about it. In fact, many pirate towns often _prayed_ for the Pearl to dock in their ports, hoping that its captain and crew would drop their coins into the nearest tavern and shops. Women (sometimes literally) threw themselves at him, hoping to attract attention and company for the night, or however long he stayed…

Presently, however, Jack was angrily gripping the wheel of his ship, silently cursing each and every whore he'd ever been with the past five years. He was still fuming over the last stop the ship had made in Port Joseph, angry with the woman he'd spent his money on while he was there. The woman had been good, no doubt about that…it was what she'd said to her friends afterwards that had made him lose his temper and had crushed his heart, all at the same time.

_The morning after was usually nothing more than a chaste kiss goodbye and the handing over of coins. However, Jack had slept in, and since he had paid the night before, his 'company' hadn't seen fit to wake him. Instead, she'd left him and joined her harlot friends outside the tavern they'd stayed in that night. He'd just walked towards the door when he heard them talking about their nightly business._

_One woman giggled. "I can't believe you were lucky enough to snare Jack Sparrow!" she squealed._

_He heard a familiar giggle, one from the woman he'd spent the night with. Bonnie, if he remembered correctly. "And he's every bit as good as we've heard, girls!" she crowed, causing the others to laugh. "He pays well, too!" Jack heard coins jingle. "The money itself is reason enough to bed the man, even if his reputation as a pirate and a bedmate aren't!"_

_The women laughed as they waltzed off down the street, eager to spend the previous night's earnings on something they felt they deserved as both women and whores._

Silently fuming, Jack had stalked back to his ship and had ordered everyone back onboard. Two hours later, he'd angrily steered the ship out of the harbor, a confused crew following his orders even though they didn't understand why he was being so hard on them. Jack himself did not know why he was acting his anger out on them, but he needed to vent…he had every right to vent…he was the captain, and he didn't have to explain himself to anyone if he didn't want to.

At first, Jack didn't understand why he was so angry. After all, he was used to using people, and having himself used by others (by his consent, of course). But it was different overhearing someone brag about using them; it had never happened before, and it had hurt. He'd always put the idea of being used out of his mind so that it wouldn't affect him. But now he knew…he _knew_ that no woman had ever cared for him, that no woman probably ever _would_ care about him and his feelings. They only wanted his money, his reputation, and his…well, other things. In all the years before this, it'd never bothered him; it was part of a pirate's life, to use and be used. Hearing it shouldn't have hurt at all, if he knew all along in the back of his mind that he was being used in the first place.

So why was it suddenly so painful now?

* * *

_Three Nights Later: Jack's POV_: 

Pulling the spyglass from his pocket, Captain Jack Sparrow watched the unsuspecting merchant ship float several miles from where the Pearl was located. It was running heavy, meaning that its storage rooms were filled to the brim with gold, supplies, and, most likely, weapons. In short, it had everything the Black Pearl needed at that moment, and Jack was not going to let this opportunity pass him by!

Collapsing the glass, he turned towards the eager crewmembers who were presently shuffling around deck. He knew they had been nervous about his recent restlessness, but that was because he was that eager for the pillage. Giving them a happy smile, Jack began ordering everyone around, sincerely glad about the plunder they might receive on this fine night. The moon was new, so there was no light, but the sparkling lanterns onboard the merchant vessel was more than enough to follow with the normal eye and spyglass. Grinning, Jack took the helm and steered towards the unfortunate ship.

* * *

_An hour later, Author's POV_: 

As the crew of the Black Pearl silently slipped aboard their target and proceeded to knock out any nighttime guards, Jack stayed behind to be sure everything was ready for an emergency getaway. Once he was sure that Patrick was prepared to get them out of there in a hurry, Jack slipped aboard the vessel and prepared to steal as much swagger as he possibly could before their two hour time limit was up. The crewmen were presently stealing food from the galley, as well as large bags of bullets and firearms up from the main weapons room. Once most of those were safely aboard the Pearl, the _real_ sacking began.

Jack watched greedily as bags and chests full of precious gold, supplies, and alcohol were snuck off the merchant ship. This was one of their best raids so far this month, if the plunder was any indication of what was being hauled onto his ship! The weapons, food, and alcohol they'd been in bad need of, but the gold was an added bonus! The crew would have a fine time in the next port, that was for sure!

The sudden sound of a shot going off alerted everyone that their time was up. A shrill whistle from Jack, and the crewmembers not loaded down with anything swung onboard the Pearl; anyone holding anything dropped it and raced across the planks connecting the two ships. Jack remained behind to cover anyone straggling behind, and was displeased to see the merchant ship's captain appear from his cabin. Growling under his breath, Jack drew his sword. The merchant captain was prepared for the possible confrontation and moved forward.

The fight was short, but bloody. Jack's opponent was skilled, he gave him that, but Jack was better; in a few minutes, both men had managed to wound the other, but it was the captain of the Black Pearl that scored the killing mark. As the other man slumped towards the deck, Jack grabbed a loose rope and swung aboard his ship, the crew of the merchant finally making their way out of the blocked doors that Jack's crew had managed to secure before leaving. Once he was safely at the helm, Jack gave another shrill whistle and the crew set off a round of pistol shots at their enemies. The last they saw of their quarry was a deck full of wounded and possibly dead men. Not feeling any sort of remorse, the Black Pearl's captain sailed off into the darkness of the night.

* * *

_A Week Later: Jack's POV_: 

Groaning, Jack leaned back against the headboard of his bed. He couldn't remember ever being this bored in his life. The plundering life had always be a spot of sun and amusement, and now he thought of it as common as…well, as common as the seagulls that landed on his ship while in port!

'_You know it's a bad sign when your livelihood is boring you to death_,' he thought, staring at the wall opposite his bed.

It wasn't so much that plundering was boring; the problem was that that everyone _expected_ pirates to do it. Waiting until nightfall (or some opportune moment) to plunder random ships was what pirates did, and Jack was becoming bored with what was expected of him. He needed something more, something that wasn't so…_predictable_ to the Royal Navy and everyone else. Jack needed to think of something else, something more original than simply plundering whatever ship was floating by at that moment in time. And he was tired of killing stupid merchant captains that woke up at times they weren't supposed to.

'_I need something more planned_,' Jack mused, chewing on his lower lip. '_I need something that will bring in more plunder than ever before_.'

The idea suddenly hit him like an anchor. Leaping out of bed, Jack raced towards his desk, frantically searching the locked drawer where he had stored all of the maps and important documents that he had collected over the years. Reaching inside, he took out a box the size of three bricks laid side-by-side and three thick. Gibbs had raided it from a locked cabin aboard the merchant ship they had attacked a week ago, and upon discovering what was inside, he had given it over to his captain. Jack already knew what it contained: a stack of confidential Royal Navy maps that were marked with routes to be made over the next several months by British ships.

Each map displayed a ship that the general public did not know about: important ships carrying important people (such as visiting nobles, ambassadors, and governors), as well as precious cargo to and from the Caribbean Islands. The types of ships varied from merchant to Naval to passenger ships, and each type of ship had a different color assigned to it. When he'd first been given the contents, Jack had held every indication of either selling it to anyone he felt like or to any map shop he came across. Now he was glad that he hadn't, because the contents of this box would change the way the Black Pearl received its income over the next several months. Grinning, Jack began going over every single map in the pile, taking careful notes on a nearby piece of parchment.

* * *

_Three Days Later: Author's POV_: 

Watching Jack sit at the head of the table, Gibbs took careful notes of the expressions of those sitting round the large rectangle table in the galley. Jack had just revealed his latest idea on raiding unsuspecting ships, and now the crew was reacting to the idea. A few had expressions of greed and impatience, but most had one of surprise and shock; Gibbs' face had the expression of the latter part of the group.

"So, let me get this straight, sir," Gibbs slowly replied. "You're saying that you know the exact secret routes of ships traveling the Caribbean over the next several months. You know what ships will be traveling where, and with what cargo or people, and when they'll be traveling."

"Exactly, Gibbs!" Jack exclaimed, leaning back in his chair, a cocky grin on his face. "We simply have to hide out behind some islands and wait for the prey to fall into our laps!"

"But won't the Navy know by now that the maps are missing, Cap'n?" asked young Thomas, his pale green eyes worried as he ran his hand through his limp blonde hair. "I sure don't want to end up hangin' because of the Navy figuring out our plan ahead of time!"

Jack simply gave the lad a _look_. After all, he was not about to waste his breath chiding a fourteen-year-old boy. Instead he shook his head and proceeded to correct the boy's train of thoughts so that no one else would chicken out of this new form of plundering.

"The Navy won't have time to change _all_ of their sailing routes," he said, rolling his eyes at the boy's foolishness. "Therefore, it's perfectly safe to assume that most, _if not all_, of the ships will still be using their original routes to and around the Caribbean." He grinned, gold teeth flashing in the lights of the lanterns. "Besides, this guarantees us getting some damn good swag to spend _and_ nobles to terrify! What say you?"

Most of the other crewmembers cheered at the creativity and logic of their captain. The plan made sense. Besides, their captain was brilliant and decent (as far as pirates went), and he wasn't one to put the lives of his crewmembers in dangers for the sake of plunder. No, they trusted their captain, as he hadn't let them down so far. Besides, it sounded rather fun to them.

* * *

_Jamaica: Night, Two Days Later_: 

Watching the unsuspecting trade ship float by, Jack smirked to himself. Tonight would be their first raid of the scheduled secret routes, and everyone was especially eager for this one. This ship was particularly good, for it was full of precious herbs and spices from India and China and was not heavily guarded (as far as British ships went). This ship's cargo would be worth a pretty penny (especially to the doctors and spice dealers in pirate cities like Tortuga), and Jack was not going to pass this up! Twenty minutes later, Jack and the Pearl were inches behind the properly named ship: the Peaceful Dove.

'_Pansy name_,' Jack snorted to himself. '_What kind of idiots dreams up names like this_? _Oh yes, Redcoats_.' Snorting again in amusement, Jack steered the ship up alongside its target.

No noise was made, and the crew of the Pearl had overpowered the pathetic guards and crewmen on deck in less than three minutes. Sincerely proud of his crew, Jack waltzed over a thin gangplank and headed downstairs towards the main hold, only stopping to kick an unconscious man out of his way. The main hold's door was locked, but that means nothing to a pirate; lock-picking was part of the job, after all. Once the lock was picked and the door opened, Jack's jaw dropped. Now, it takes a lot to shock Captain Jack Sparrow, but the piles of shimmering silk, the smell of spices, and the luster of finely polished, expensive wooden boxes (likely filed with precious bottles of perfume) did just that.

"I believe that I'm going to like this new form of plundering," he said to himself, smirking.

* * *

AN: Okay, that was my first chapter. I hope it wasn't boring. Please review and let me know what you think of it! The next one will have my main female character. Also, **please read the top half of my bio for news on the future ofthis story**! 


	2. Encounters on the Ocean

Disclaimer: I don't own the sexy Captain Jack Sparrow, or anything **_Pirates of the Caribbean_**.

AN: Okay, here is the chapter where Jack at least _sees_ the lead female of the story, though there is sadly no meeting between them yet. I hope that this chapter is not too clichéd, but if it is, please tell me! Also, Jack's going to be OOC (out of character) for quite a bit of this story; it's all part of the fic, so please don't be mad at me. Thanks, and I hope you enjoy the chapter!

**Chapter 2: Encounters on the Ocean**:

_A Month Later, Jack's POV_:

Humming incessantly to himself, Jack looked out over the Caribbean, admiring how glorious the sea was at night. It was an especially lovely night, with the moon glittering on the waves and a soft, cool breeze gently caressing his skin. The beads in his hair clinked together, blending in with the sound of the waves lapping on the side of his ship. It was a beautiful night, and an even better night for plundering.

Jack smirked to himself. Ah, yes, _the plundering_. They'd taken in more swag in the past month than they'd done in any previous year, so good were their pickings. The Navy was at a loss as to how pirates could have such knowledge of British sailing routes, causing many ships to become so plundered they were bare of everything but a few scant supplies. No one had yet figured out that it had been only _one_ ship doing all of the looting, and the King and Parliament believed that it was due to an unusual surge in piracy. The amazing thing was that no one had apparently missed the stolen maps with the secret ship routes, nor had the routes been changed in the slightest way.

'_Either they're too stupid to notice, or they don't want the merchants and the elite class to know about the missing maps and cause a panic_,' Jack smirked to himself. '_Oh, well, more plunder for us, then_!'

Still, they had to be careful; it wouldn't do to get more plunder than they could spend before the next attack, and the Pearl could only carry so much. If the Pearl was too full of treasure, it would be too heavy to make a quick getaway should something go wrong; so, to counteract this, Jack made sure they did only one or two plunders a week…which, in his opinion, was good enough. They would take their wares to the nearest shady town and spend, trade, or sell their goods until they were gone, then go for a few days of drinking and wenching before heading off to do it all over again.

'_One of these days I'll have to give the men a couple weeks to themselves_,' Jack mused, biting his lower lip. '_Gotta give 'em some time to relax and not think about raids and plundering_.'

Something told him that they needed a bit of excitement, too. After all, they'd been going by a bloody _schedule_, for God's sakes, and pirates needed something unexpected. So, to spice things up, Jack decided to plunder the next ship that sailed by, even if that ship wasn't on the secret maps. The crew could use a little excitement, and it had been a while since they'd plundered someone not on the list, so why not?

Smirking, Jack headed down below to tell them the good news.

* * *

_The Next Morning: Jack's POV_: 

Nothing beats a good breakfast of meat, potatoes, and rum…except following breakfast with the plotting of a good raid. Jack was happily observing their intended target float several miles away, completely oblivious to being watched and followed. He wondered if they'd even notice the Pearl if they were to approach and shoot at them, dim-witted people that they were. Jack shrugged. Well, the dimmer they were, the more likely the raid was to succeed. Snorting, he pulled out his spyglass and looked at their target, wondering if this was a merchant ship or passenger vessel. It was large enough to be a merchant, but something wasn't quite right about it. As he moved his glass to investigate the enemy crew for clues, Jack spotted a flutter of sea-green on deck and took a closer look. The vision presented to him stunned him.

_A nymph of the seas was aboard that ship_.

His breathing stopped, his hands nearly dropping the glass. Shaking his head, he put the tool back up to his eye, focusing it to make sure he wasn't hallucinating. Jack looked again. Dark waves of hair flew behind her, floating in the wind like a cape, the brown locks having obviously fallen out of the pins she clenched in her hands. Her dress was the sea-green that he had spotted before, and there was white lace at the collar and in a cloud around the sleeves that ended at her elbows. He didn't know what color her eyes were, but that didn't matter. The woman (and it obviously was a woman, not the nymph he'd believed it to be) was attractive, and would be very welcome onboard the Pearl…especially in his quarters.

'_Mine, and only mine, though_,' Jack silently growled to himself. There was no way in Hell he was going to let another man touch her. If they did, he who dared to touch Captain Jack Sparrow's woman would have their hands cut off, the remaining body parts tossed into the sea so Jack could watch the sharks take care of the offending man.

Trying to calm himself down, he watched the young woman stare at the sea with sadness and a sort of longing, one that reminded Jack of someone longing for a home they had left far behind. Was it possible that this woman was moving to the Caribbean from England, or was she visiting relatives? If she were coming here from Europe, it was likely that there were others onboard the ship, and that would make this a passenger vessel, and possibly a very important one, one that hadn't made it onto the secret maps for some unknown reason.

As he continued to watch her, Jack watched with fury as a tall, rather portly, redheaded man came up to the railing. The newcomer was wealthy by the looks of his neatly trimmed red beard, the expensive clothes, and the gold-trimmed lace on the shirt's cuffs and collar. Trying to keep his temper, Jack watched as the stranger wrapped an arm around the woman's shoulders and kissed her on the forehead. He snarled to himself as he saw the man engaging her in a short, obviously intimate conversation before caressing her shoulders and leading her below decks. Jack did _not_ like the idea of the woman already being taken after he had just spotted her.

Jack removed the spyglass from his eye. "GIBBS!" he roared.

His portly first mate answered at once. "Aye, sir?"

"Make ready for tonight, and prepare for some resistance," Jack ordered, still gazing at the barely-visible British vessel. "We're going after a tough one."

He could hear Gibbs grin. "Aye, cap'n, I'll get 'em ready," the first mate replied before jogging off.

* * *

_Meanwhile, Eleanor's POV_: 

'_Why did we have to come to the Caribbean_?' I bitterly thought, staring out at the sea. '_Granted, the sights are much lovelier and more colorful than England, but I hate the heat_!'

Needless to say, I'm not a hot-weather person. I'd rather have a cold day complete with a hot cup of tea, several blankets, and a nice fire than this merciless sun beating down on me. At least it was better up here than it was down below; Mother was downstairs in the cabin, feeling seasick again, so up here was infinitely preferable. At least I had a breeze to keep me comfortable, and it didn't smell like someone had just been sick. My poor father…how he ever managed to get Mother out here on the ocean was a miracle in-and-of-itself, but now he has to stay below and take care of her and her terrible temper. I suppose the sea voyage was making her short-tempered as well; Mother doesn't like living in small rooms any more than she likes the sea!

I chuckled to myself. Ah, well, at least there were two good things about this voyage. One was that it is keeping my matchmaking mother out of my hair about getting married. Two: I don't have to marry that terrible lord back in England. At least Father agreed that he was a bad match…despite being wealthy, the man had terrible teeth, and he smelled funny, too. Father would secretly whisper to me that Lord Sharpe's smell could make a bull keel over. We always had a good laugh about that.

I was in the middle of taking another deep breath of sea air when I felt a familiar arm wrap around my shoulders, a pair of lips descending on my forehead. I giggled at the feel of my father's beard, it always tickled and made me laugh.

"Enjoying the peace and quite of the sea, my Ellie?" he whispered comfortingly into my ear.

"Absolutely," I whispered back. "Is Mother still angry that I didn't marry that lord back in England?"

My father snorted. "I doubt it," he replied, rubbing my shoulders. "She knows that he looked too much like her own suitors before I rescued her, so I think she'll forgive you for not accepting."

I couldn't help but smile quietly at the man that I called 'father'. I thank the Lord Above every day for giving me such a kind and caring man as father and nurturer. My father may be a minor lord, but he's one of the greatest men I've ever known…and I've known quite a few through my mother's terrible attempts at matchmaking.

How my mother, Lady Katherine of Karr, managed to ensnare my father, the kindly Lord Stephan of Kent, was beyond my comprehension. Oh, well, at least it worked out for the best; both had come from large, but not especially wealthy, families, so it was a good thing that they'd managed to merge two small dowries into a fairly good-sized piece of property. It was a pity that Father had sold it so we could move to the Caribbean manor that he'd won in a gamble. I truly missed the house I had lived and grown up in for 23 years, but there was nothing I could do about it. Oh, well, at least there wouldn't be any horrible old buzzards around; I hear they abhor the heat here (though I can see why).

"We should head down below, you mother and brother are waiting for you to read that book to them," Father muttered into my ear.

"Yes, Father," I sighed, turning to follow him down below and into utter boredom.

* * *

_That night, Eleanor's POV_: 

Giving a small yelp, I pulled my brush through a particularly tangled bit of hair. Bloody wind, it does this to me every time. Oh, well, better fresh air and tangled hair than sitting beside Mother and having to read to her. Mother hates to read, but doesn't mind being read _to_, and as her dearly devoted, scholarly daughter, it is my duty to do so. It drives me mad, though, when she constantly interrupts and asks why things are going the way they are in the book, and explaining things is impossible; after all, it's the way it was written, and it's not as though I can change the happenings, now, can I?

"Ellie, are you in there?" called a soft, youthful male voice from outside my cabin door.

I couldn't help but smile. "Come in, Edward," I called, setting down my brush and making sure I was decent.

My younger brother entered the room, his dark hair tousled and his warm, toasted-honey-brown eyes looking at me with worry. "Ellie, could I talk to you?" he asked nervously. "It's important."

I nodded and waved a hand towards a chair. "What's troubling you, Eddie?" I asked as he took the proffered chair.

"Ellie, I overheard Mother telling Father that it was time for me to get married!" he frantically whispered in a panic.

I blinked at him in surprise. "Eddie, you're not even eighteen years of age yet," I gently reminded him. "Father didn't marry Mother until he was _at least_ in his upper twenties! You're young yet, and you've got so much to do and see before you get married!" I chuckled and winked a blue eye playfully at him. "Besides, I think she's saying this because _I_ haven't chosen to wed anyone yet. She won't make you wed until you're good and ready."

Edward let out a breath of relief. "Do you really think so, Ellie?" he pressed. "I mean, really?"

I reached over and patted his hand. "I promise," I said, doing my best to reassure him. "And I promise to be there when you do choose a bride, just so I know who my baby brother is marrying!"

He wrinkled his nose at me. "Thank you so much for that," he muttered, rolling his eyes.

We both laughed before heading towards Mother and Father's cabin for some family time together before bed.

* * *

_That Evening: Jack's POV_: 

Impatient for full nighttime blackness to settle on the Caribbean, Jack paced the length and width of his cabin, muttering obscenities under his breath. He really couldn't understand why simply _seeing_ a young woman would affect him like this. His breath came faster, and he had the unnatural urge to grab the girl, swing her over his shoulder, carry her into his cabin and ravish her until dawn. True, he'd done that sort of thing with wenches in a dozen ports, but this one…

'_Ah, this one is different_,' Jack thought to himself.

Yes, this woman was different. How and why she was so special, Jack didn't know; he just knew that she was and he had no desire to let this woman out of his sights. As soon as he set foot onboard that ship of hers, he'd kill the bastard that had dared to touch her earlier today. Be he her husband or betrothed, the red-haired man would get what was coming to him when the Pearl raided his precious ship tonight!

Tired of his pacing, Jack sat down at his desk and tried to figure out how to conduct the raid with the least amount of death. There was no doubt that the people on the vessel (if there were indeed more than the woman and her companion) were of importance in English society, and would likely have guards on the ship as well. Unless they were trying not to attract attention, that is; some nobles didn't like having '_unwanted attention_' when leaving, especially if they were fleeing enemies, suitors, or other unpleasant business troubles they were trying to forget.

Jack silently cursed to himself. '_I should have been paying closer attention to who else was on the ship instead of staring at that girl_,' he berated himself. '_How would it look to the crew if I lost some of them because I wasn't looking out for trouble_?'

Still, he had gotten a good look at the sailors on their target: good, strong men, but a bit lazier than most sailors aught to be. Some had been shirking their duties, playing dice or trying to _look_ busy when that redheaded lord had come on deck. Jack mostly figured that the crew had either been hired in a hurry, or that the man in charge of hiring the crew had probably hired the first free sailors he had come across on the docks.

'_Idiot_,' Jack smirked as he leaned back in his chair. '_That'll just make it easier for us to catch up with them and take over the ship. God, I love it when people make my job so much easier_.'

Still, he had to cover every possibility of injury and death to his crewmen. There was the very likely chance that soldiers would be onboard. Then again, perhaps not…it all usually depended on the rank of those traveling on the ship, and whether or not they wanted people to find out they were traveling. The man Jack had seen at the railing had to be a noble from the look of his clothes, but Jack hadn't seen any sort of jewelry on him that would indicate his rank. For all Jack knew, the man could be a lord of the Royal Court on a trip to the Caribbean and simply be hiding it from everyone. Also, from what Jack could remember, he hadn't seen any sort of man in uniform, and those types of people stood out like a sore thumb amongst common sailors.

'_So it's just sailors, then_,' he thought, chewing on his lower lip. '_That's interesting. That bloody idiot might just be a minor noble who caught a ride on the first ship that left England_.' The corners of his mouth twitched in amusement. '_I wonder what the poor lout was running from, if he was running at all_.' The situation made him wonder, but not enough to stay on it.

Jack smiled to himself. Well, back to the matters at hand. In Jack's mind, lazy sailors tended to mean less of a hassle during a raid like this: they didn't fight well during a skirmish, and would do anything to save their own necks. Less hassle meant less chance of a battle, and fewer people getting killed. Personally, Jack didn't mind slitting a few throats in a raid, but only if necessary…or if his foolish opponent tried to be the hero or was too dangerous to be allowed to live. Given the choice, survival was key, and if he had to kill to save his own skin, so be it.

'_I just hope this nobleman had left Europe without any intention of going back_,' Jack thought, inspecting a fingernail in the dim candlelight. '_If so, that means lots of very valuable swag and possible heirlooms for us to sell afterwards_.'

Well, enough thought on the matter; it was time to get to work! Leaping out of his chair and out of his cabin, the Captain of the Black Pearl watched his crewmen get ready for the night's activities. They hadn't looked this eager for a while, so maybe doing an unscheduled attack would be a good thing for everyone.

Jack smiled to himself and put his hat on his head. It was time to show everyone what the crew of the Black Pearl was made of.

* * *

_Meanwhile, Eleanor's POV_: 

I bit my lip, trying my best not to run out of the room screaming. My mother was proving especially difficult tonight, for reasons beyond my understanding. Edward had asked for a story about pirates, and Mother had nearly beheaded him with her sharp tongue, claiming that pirates were vile creatures and would not be spoken of in her presence. As her children, we could only nod meekly in agreement and not argue, simply sharing a look that said we would do the reading on pirates later in one of our private quarters. Instead, I had begun an attempt to read aloud one of the epics by Homer.

However, my efforts were stopped when my mother lost interest and asked me what I would do during the social season once we'd reached our new home. In response, I merely smiled and asked what she had planned for us to do, because it was safer than answering. I knew that if I answered and she didn't approve, I'd be receiving a rather large lecture on not trying hard enough to further the family's social standing. Since it was rare for me to give my mother an answer that she wanted to hear, I merely let her answer in my place, agreeing with everything she told me I would do. It never bothered me, seeing as she always forgot about what she said within days of saying it.

I held back my expression of anguish and merely held my tongue. I loved my mother, truly I did, but sometimes she could be utterly maddening! She means well: she tries so hard to arrange friendships and parties with only the best available men for me to meet with, but I know it's only because she worries about me. Mother merely feels that it's her responsibility to arrange a good future for me. I had a good dowry, but if I did not wed, the estate would go to Edward and I'd be left depending on him for the rest of my life. For some reason, this possible future bothers my mother a great deal, thus the present inquisition as to what my social interactions would be in the Caribbean.

By now my mother had stopped talking and was looking at me intensely. I saw Father standing right behind her, lighting his pipe, and he winked at me with his left eye, signaling in our private language that Mother had been talking about parties that I would need to attend…parties that would also be attended by available men of various ages. I gave her a falsely joyful smile and nodded.

"Of course, Mother, I'd be happy to attend any parties that I am invited to."

It was the sentence she most wanted to hear, so she smiled in return and sent us 'children' off to bed with a light kiss and a hope that we had pleasant dreams. Once we were both safe in our connected cabins, Edward and I finished reading aloud the book on pirates before separating.

"I wonder if pirates are the evil-doers that Mother claims they are," I said, looking down at the book in my lap.

"I think that they're all different in their own way," Edward slowly replied. "After all, not all of them kill in cold blood. I've even heard of one that helped the Navy in capturing other pirates!"

I rolled my eyes at him. "Those are only stories, Eddie, pirates wouldn't _really_ help the Navy catch other pirates," I said, trying to hide my amusement. "You've been reading too many stories on those thieves of the sea!"

Edward wrinkled his nose at me. "Whatever you say, Ellie," he said, reaching over to pull at a lock of my hair before going to his own cabin. "I just hope to never find out if Mother is right or not," he said before leaving.

* * *

AN: I'm trying to decide on whether or not to leave this story up. However, there's a chance that I'll keep it going. I'll think about it. If you're curious about the status of this fic and any others being planned, go to my bio for the latest news. Oh, and please review! 


	3. An Offer She Cannot Refuse

Disclaimer: I still don't own Jack Sparrow or **_Pirates of the Caribbean_**!

AN: Someone said that I don't really need to label POV, but I like to think that its not as abrupt as just jumping views unannounced, so I'm going to keep doing it. No offense to anyone. Also, someone said Jack's fallen in love too quick. He's not really in love, he's just infatuated and…well, lonely (wink, wink). Anyway, thanks for the tips, and I hope you won't stop reading! Enjoy!

**Chapter 3: An Offer She Cannot Refuse:**

_Midnight: Jack's POV_:

As the Pearl silently coasted up to the side of her target, Jack took a brief moment to glance at the name of the vessel he'd be plundering. _The Sea Maiden_, stated the large wooden sign on the stern of the ship. Jack chuckled darkly to himself. How appropriate, especially for a vessel carrying the bonny lass he wanted so badly. Gripping the helm of the Pearl tightly in his hands, Jack focused his attention completely on getting as close to the Maiden as possible without being spotted. The moon was full this night, but it was clouded over, creating the darkness his crew needed for a successful raid.

'_And this **will** be a successful raid_,' Jack silently pledged to himself as they approached the desired spot beside the Maiden.

The woman would go with him no matter how she pleaded and begged. This would definitely be a night to remember!

* * *

_The Raid: Author's POV_: 

When it was needed, pirates can move as silently and swiftly as shadows, leaving nothing but dead or unconscious bodies in their wake. Tonight was one of those nights: Captain Sparrow had ordered all of his crew to first knock out the sailors and, should they prove difficult, to slit their throats as quickly and quietly as possible. It was fortunate for them that the sailors were already either down below in their quarters or too drunk to notice that there were pirates were there weren't any before.

As he made his way aboard the Sea Maiden, Jack gave the unconscious bodies a cold glance before heading down to the cabins. He nodded towards Gibbs, who nodded in reply and signaled to two of the Pearl's strongest and most silent men. The three crewmen then headed towards the captain's quarters to take care of him and make sure that no alarm was given. Meanwhile, Jack quietly made his way downstairs, towards the passenger rooms. He had a feeling that, being the fine lady that she was, his girl would be in one of the larger rooms.

Smirking, Jack headed towards his intended destination. Quietly opening the door to the first cabin he came to, he spotted the man he had seen on deck, smoking a pipe, his back turned towards the door…and he was alone. Sneaking up behind him, Jack raised his sword and swung, _hard_.

* * *

_An Hour Later: Eleanor's POV_: 

Sleep had not come easy for me, so it was no wonder that I was vaguely aware that there was someone in my cabin, sometime in the night. The fact that it sounded like someone sneaking around in boots was what told me that the intruder was not here for noble purposes. I kept my eyes shut, trying to guess who was in the room and why. It couldn't be the sailors; they're rough men, but wouldn't try anything so bold as to rob the passengers when we were so close to our destination. Nor would they try and assault me, what with my father and brother here to defend my honor. We had no real servants here on the ship, so it couldn't be anyone like that. I was still trying to guess who it was when I felt rough hands grab my shoulder and shake me out of my thoughts.

My eyes flew open, and I saw the strangest man that I'd ever seen in my life. He was a pirate, no argument about that. If it wasn't for the pistol at his hip or his sword at my throat, it was definitely the rough clothes and the tri-corner hat on his head; there was only _one_ captain of the Sea Maiden, and this man was _not_ it. He wore a long blue coat, a red sash around his waist that was tied over brown leggings, and a once-white shirt. His belt had numerous instruments dangling from it, but I wasn't able to fully make out what they were. Beads and other trinkets dangled from his hair and from the twin braids hanging from his beard, clinking as he leaned closer to my face.

"Time to get up, luv," he whispered, his sword resting just under my chin.

Ice-cold fear surrounded my body, but I gave a small nod to prove that I understood him. The pirate captain moved back, his sword following me as I rose from the bed, the sheets clutched in my hands as I truly did not want to get up and stand in front of this man in nothing more than a nightdress. I suppose the pirate saw my unease because he handed me a robe and gestured towards the soft-soled shoes at the foot of the bed.

"Put those on."

It wasn't a request; it was a command, one that I had no choice but to follow. I did as he asked, standing still as he place himself behind me and directed me towards the main guest cabin where my family had gathered so peacefully together only hours before. The man behind me was surprisingly merciful and gentle when leading me inside the cabin, and I couldn't help but wonder why he hadn't tried to harm me by now. However, my thoughts in my head stopped when I saw the situation in the main cabin.

My mother and Edward were huddling together on the floor of the cabin, surrounded by armed and very dangerous pirates. To my relief, Mother appeared to be fine, physically, though she looked very much afraid for her life. Edward, on the other hand, was bruised on the right side of his face, by his temple, and he looked more than angry; if he'd had a sword in his hands, the pirates would be in _very_ deep trouble by now. I tried to sooth him by looking into his eyes and telling him to calm down, but it didn't work; he only seemed angrier, and I could see a great deal of fear in his eyes.

"Edward, what's wrong?" I blurt out, not caring if the pirates punished me for my outburst.

I tried to walk over to them to find out what was wrong, but the pirate captain wrapped an arm around my waist and held me tight against him. I looked back at him, glaring at him in anger. I was not about to be held here when someone in my family needed me! Instead of fainting away (as I'm sure the pirate would have expected), I raised my arm and sank my elbow into his stomach, resulting in my release. I immediately flew forward, shoving pirates out of my way, not caring what happened to me as long as my family was safe. What I saw stopped me in my tracks, even as the uncaring pirates grabbed me and held me in place.

"Papa!" I screamed.

* * *

_Jack's POV_: 

The Captain of the Black Pearl felt as though something hot had stabbed him in the chest. He had harmed the poor girl's father…her _father_, and not a husband, betrothed, or suitor. He had unknowingly knocked out, and possibly _seriously_ _harmed_, the single most important man in this young woman's life. But despite all that, Jack didn't feel completely bad. Oh, he felt a _little_ guilty because he'd jumped to conclusions, but he didn't regret his actions. Actually, he simply felt bad for causing the young lady to cry…but she was so lovely when she cried…

'_Enough of that_,' Jack snapped to himself. Rubbing his ribs, he winced. '_Lass knows how to elbow a guy right where it counts, I'll give her that_.'

Glancing at her, Jack realized that several members of his crew had grabbed her roughly by the arms, keeping her away from her unconscious father and what he assumed was her family. With a jerk of his head, the men released her, and she quickly flew to the side of her unconscious parent. Staying where he was, Jack stood back to watch the scene. Perhaps an opportune moment or bargain would present itself soon…

* * *

_Eleanor's POV_: 

I felt the numerous hands release me and took advantage of my new freedom to try and help my poor father, lying face-down on the floor, unconscious. There was a small bit of blood on the wood beneath his head, a small puddle of it, and it made my heart sink. I knew in my head that such a small amount meant that he wouldn't be seriously hurt, but my heart screamed at me that Father was hurt and needed help. I motioned for my mother and brother to help me, and they did, unhindered by enemy hands. For some reason beyond my comprehension, the pirate captain didn't order us restrained, but instead simply allowed us to turn Father onto his back to take care of his wounds.

My stomach lurched. There was a long gash along the side of his face, which was the likely cause of his bleeding. Examining the wound, I knew that the gash would heal well on its own and wouldn't need stitches, but would likely leave a scar. Taking a closer look, I noticed that there were also bruises on his cheeks and his lip had been split open. It was almost as though someone had beaten him after he'd been knocked unconscious. I felt anger swell up inside me. Even though I knew the bruises would fade and the lip would heal, I couldn't believe that someone would stoop so low as to beat an unconscious man!

I turned to glare at the pirate captain. "How _dare_ you assault my father when he is unable to fight back!" I cried. "How could he have been a threat when he wasn't even _awake_?"

Shocked silence and threatening growls filled the inside the cabin, but I ignored it…I had more important matters to attend to. Reaching inside my robe, I pulled out two handkerchiefs. I handed my mother a piece of cloth and the two of us began to clean the blood and dirt away from Father's wound. Edward looked a bit pale from the sight of blood, so I did not ask for his help in this matter.

I had just asked Mother to rip some cloth for a bandage when I felt strong hands suddenly grab my arms and pull me away. I was roughly turned around to face my attacker, my body colliding with one that was tense and obviously very angry. I looked up into burning brown eyes, eyes that belonged to the pirate captain that had brought all of this down on us. I glared back, focusing my blue eyes on his brown orbs. I saw his eyes narrow in response, and swore that he growled in the back of his throat.

"It's not wise to upset the pirate captain that has you and your family at his mercy," he whispered into my ear. "He's lucky I didn't kill him when I first came in here, when he was smoking his pipe, unarmed and unaware of my presence."

The pirate proceeded to pull me closer against him and I shivered as his hot breath caressed the skin of my neck and ear, the warm air softly brushing against the side of my face. As a noblewoman, I'd only been held close by two men, my father and my brother, and even then the touch was a bit distant. I'd never been this close to any man, and _this_ was much more intimate than anything I had ever experienced before. At the moment, I wasn't sure whether to struggle against his hold on me or allow him to continue.

The captain seemed to understand that this position was uncomfortable for me, and proceeded to take advantage of it. He pulled back slightly and gave me a very naughty smirk, one which made my stomach flutter nervously. No gentleman would ever look at a lady that way…at least not to her face.

'_Pirate_,' quipped a small voice in the back of my mind. '_This man is a **pirate**, dear, he's not exactly like the polite noblemen back in England_!'

It was then that I realized that I'd upset the man who was holding all of our lives in the palm of his hands. I swallowed and looked into his eyes, this time showing true fear for the first time since we'd met.

* * *

_Jack's POV_: 

He knew he had her the moment he saw the fear in her eyes. This was the moment he was waiting for, the _opportune_ moment, as it were. Smirking inside but adorning a frown on the surface, Jack looked down into her eyes, looking every inch the part of the evil pirate captain.

'_Who says you're acting_?' whispered a voice in his mind.

'_Shut up_,' he snapped, reaching for his pistol. Out loud, he said, "Well, luv, you've put your family in a very dangerous situation. After all, they're at my mercy. I give the word, and your family will be dead before the smoke clears. What do ye say about me putting your father out of his misery, eh?"

Jack cocked his pistol and aimed it at the head of the unconscious man.

* * *

_Eleanor's POV_: 

My eyes widened to the size of saucers. "No!" I cried, my hands reaching up to clutch the pirate captain's shirt and coat. "No, please, Captain, have mercy on my poor father! Please!"

I could feel my heart stop within my chest. I had to do something to stop them, but what? They hadn't offered any bargains in exchange, so I couldn't offer them something in return for sparing our lives. My only hope was to plea for our safety and release with the captain, and who knew whether he would keep his word or not? Still, I had to do something!

"Please Captain, I beg you!" I pleaded, releasing his coat and dropping to my knees in front of him. I saw his eyes widen in surprise. "Please, have mercy on my family! I beg you to spare their lives!"

My hands reached to clasp the back of one of his rough ones, hands which held the instruments to destroy my life and the lives of those I loved. My eyes searched for any sort of emotion besides cruelty and possible greed, begging for him to hear my plea and grant it.

* * *

_Jack's POV_: 

She was on her knees in front of him, begging him to do something humane with his actions. She was in the palm of his hand, playing right into the net he had made and was totally willing to use to the greatest advantage. Jack felt a rush of triumph as her blue eyes stared up at him, waiting for him to answer her pleas. If it was an answer she desired, then an answer he would give her; however, it would be far different from the one that she wanted.

Putting away his weapons, Jack leaned forward and pulled her up so that their eyes met, brown clashing with blue, their faces inches apart. He could feel her hair around his hands, the strands of glittering brown lightly tickling his fingers as he gripped her shoulders. At that moment, there was nothing Jack desired more than to run his fingers through her hair as he made love to her, hard, in his bed on the Pearl…but there would be plenty of time for that later. Pushing such thoughts from his head, Jack leaned forward so there would be no mistake about the bargain he was about to put before her.

"I'll give ye a choice, luv," he said, loud enough for everyone in the cabin to hear. "Your family will be spared, as will everyone else on the ship -" he held up his hand to stop any form of interruption, "_if_ you agree to come onboard my ship with me…permanently"

He waited impatiently for his answer.

* * *

_Eleanor's POV_: 

'_It's a trick_,' was my first thought. '_Why else would he make this kind of insane bargain with you in the first place_?'

It had to be a trick; there was no way a pirate would want an English noblewoman on his ship for any reason, except…

'_Oh, God_,' I thought to myself, my face going pale and my body going cold as realization dawned on me. '_No, he can't seriously mean for me to join him on his ship as his_ _hostage_!"

My family wasn't wealthy enough to pay much of a ransom, but if they tried to contact other members of the family, it was still possible. We had some very wealthy distant relatives in France, and they would gladly loan us the money. But was that what he really wanted? Money in exchange for sparing the lives of everyone onboard this ship? Something in his eyes told me, no, that was _not_ what was in store for me when I was plucked off this ship. However, if that _were_ the case, I would be stuck on his ship for quite some time.

I looked up into his eyes once more, spotting something heated and lustful in his gaze before it quickly vanished beneath the surface. It was so quick I thought I imagined it, but I had to be sure. I stared even harder and saw the look flash by again. If I went with this man, I'd have to be extra careful to keep my virtue intact.

'_But what other choice do I have_?'

I did my best to fight back tears and looked up into his eyes. "I agree to your terms, Captain," I whispered, not daring to look at the expressions on my mother and brother's faces.

* * *

_Jack's POV_: 

A huge grin threatened to destroy all of his hard work, so Jack smashed it down inside, allowing his hard exterior to take over once again. Instead, he simply nodded and grabbed her hand, leading her towards the door.

"Alright, you dogs, get what you can and let's get out of here!" he snapped to his crew as he pulled the struggling young woman out of the cabin and onto the deck.

He heard people slamming against cabin doors, trying to get out and stop the looting that was going on. Now fully grinning and not caring who saw, Jack snatched up a rope and wrapped an arm around his woman's waist. He couldn't hold back a smirk; she fit perfectly in his arms and against his body. It made him think of all the things the two of them would soon be doing at night…

"Better hold on, luv," Jack whispered into her ear, enjoying the fact that she was shivering against him. "Wouldn't want ye to fall into the water, now would we? The water's mighty cold at this time of night." He pressed his lips against the outer rim of her ear. "Unless ye want me to warm you up later?" he suggested, smirking when he heard her gasp.

"No, that's quite alright," she stammered, reaching up to clutch at his coat.

"You'd better wrap those lovely arms around my neck, just so your hands don't slip," Jack commanded, more than suggested.

She nodded and did as she was told, the two of them easily swinging aboard the Pearl. The moment her feet were securely on the floor, his captive flew out of his grip and ran to the railing, Jack racing along behind her to keep her from escaping.

* * *

_Eleanor's POV_: 

The crew had just made it onboard, and the pirate ship was swiftly pulling away from the Sea Maiden, leaving a ravaged ship and crew in its wake. I saw Edward come up on deck with Mother right behind him, both of them stepping over dead or unconscious bodies to get to the railing. I could see tears dripping down Mother's face as she saw me, waving frantically at me to jump into the sea and swim back to them. I could swim and could easily have made it, had it not been for the arm suddenly wrapping around my waist, firmly keeping me here on the pirate ship that was now my prison.

I saw Edward stand still at the railing, staring at me with shock and sadness before reaching out to me with his hands, as he had done when he was a little boy, needing and pleading for his older sister to play games with him. He seemed to plea for me to come back, to come back to him and to our family before it was too late.

'_But it's already too late_,' I thought, not moving from the spot where I was currently held firm by a pirate captain's arm.

It was too late, and we both knew it. Who knew when we would see each other once again? When would I be ransomed off for an absurd amount of money that my family did not have? Was ransom even what the pirate had had in mind when taking me? I didn't know, nor did I want to know. All I knew was that I wanted my family back together again. I reached out my hand, showing Edward that I wanted to come home as much as he wanted me back with him.

That was the last thing I saw, before the darkness and pain came.

* * *

AN: Seriously, was the ending too much? It seems like a touch much to me, but then, that's just my opinion. Please leave a review and let me know what you think! 


	4. Terms and Conditions

Disclaimer: I don't own the sexy Captain Jack Sparrow, or anything **_Pirates of the Caribbean_**.

AN: **WARNING**: this is a **rated R chapter**. Also, some of you might not like the way Jack acts in this chapter. He's violent and forceful, but that's the way he needs to be for this fic to work, so please bear with me. If you don't like it, please skip the marked parts. Thank you.

**Chapter 4: Terms and Conditions:**

_Eleanor's POV_:

I dreamed of deep blue oceans and storms. My heart felt hollow and empty, torn apart by the sudden and terrible separation from my family. When I awoke, I was in a cabin much different from the one I usually slept in, different from the one I sat in so happily with my family only a day before. Everything in this room was a tad shabby, but still of good quality. The bed I was currently lying on was (from the door's point of view) on the left side of the cabin, the bed curtains a deep wine-red velvet, as were the bed sheets that came up to and over my breast. The bed frame was made of dark brown wood, as were the tables, chairs, and other furniture pieces, all of them also of the finest make money could buy.

'_Or the best a pirate could steal_,' I bitterly thought to myself, rolling over onto my side.

I could feel a terrible headache coming on, stemming from a particular spot at the right side of my head. I raised my hand and felt a fairly good-sized lump, telling me that I had not fainted, but had instead been knocked out before being dragged down to what could only be the captain's cabin. I couldn't help but wince. This had to be some sort of nightmare; it _must_ all be a terrible dream of some sort, one that I could wake up from and find myself back in my cabin on the Sea Maiden. Edward would come through the door and start poking me to get me out of bed, and Father…

I instantly sprang into a sitting-up position. "Father!" I gasped, paying no attention to my aching head or the fact that someone might overhear me and come in.

Was my father all right? Had the pirates shot him while their captain dragged me away from my family and onto this ship? I had heard no gunfire, but it was possible that someone might have…stabbed him…while I wasn't looking. But I hadn't seen any sort of despair on my mother or Edward's faces when they came up after me, so he must be all right. Besides, if I _were_ being held for ransom, they certainly wouldn't kill the one person who could get their money for them, would they?

Sighing, I rolled over onto my left side to avoid agitating the lump on the other side of my head. Those filthy pirates had probably knocked me out to keep me from swimming back to my family, damn them. My mother would be horrified at me swearing mentally to myself, but I had every right to do so at this point. I'd been taken away from the people I loved most, all because some greedy, selfish pirate wanted more money to squander on women and drinks! Oh, I hope the Navy catches up with them! I heard the Commodore here is very good, so hopefully it won't be long before someone finds me and takes me home.

The sound of the door opening snapped me out of my thoughts. I closed my eyes and pretended to sleep as footsteps quietly approached the bed. A gentle hand caressed my hair and slid down the side of my face to the lump that had formed at my temple. I heard someone mutter a few curses before walking away and rummaging around a drawer somewhere. The footsteps quickly and quietly returned and the sound of a bottle being uncorked nearly made my eyes open in surprise. The slight _glug_ of liquid being poured followed, and I felt a pleasantly cool, wet cloth press against my wound. I sighed, thankful that the pain was now disappearing rapidly and that I could now concentrate on something else…such as the identity of the mysterious person presently tending to my wound.

Rolling over, I let my eyes open the slightest bit, just enough to look asleep, but open enough to see who was tending to me. To my extreme surprise, it was an elderly man with gray hair and a very frustrated look on his face. I slowly opened my eyes to look as though I had just woken, and was stunned when the man gave me the most cheerful and friendly smile I'd ever seen.

"Morning, miss," he said, taking the cloth away from my wound and corking the bottle. "How are you feeling today?"

My mouth gaped open in surprise. This man cared about how I was feeling? Was he an actual pirate, or another prisoner like myself, one who was trapped her because a ransom couldn't be paid off? I looked at his clothes and noticed the pistol and scabbard hanging from his belt, as well as a small flask. Yes, this man was definitely a pirate, no doubt about it. If he had been a prisoner before, he was surely a pirate, now, although he certainly was a polite and respectful one…

When I didn't answer, the man simply followed my gaze and chuckled. "No worries, lass," he said, winking at me in a fatherly manner. "I'm Mr. Gibbs, or just Gibbs; it's what everyone calls me. And no harm will come to ye though me. That I can promise ye."

"And what about your crewmates?" I whispered, trying not to cry.

Mr. Gibbs looked at me long and hard. "No one will dare harm ye on _this_ ship, miss," he said firmly. "Ye happen to be under the protection of Captain Sparrow, so there's not one man on this ship that'll do ye harm."

"Captain Sparrow?" I asked, trying not to faint. "As in, _Captain Jack Sparrow_ of the _Black Pearl_?"

"Aye, that would be him."

Back home, Edward and I had heard many stories about this particular buccaneer. When Father had told us we were moving to the Caribbean, the thought of going from England and into the territory of the infamous Captain Jack Sparrow had both scared and excited us. Some said he was a good man and an even better pirate; others had told of a hard-hearted man who was only out for gold and treasures to satisfy his greed. I didn't know which ones to believe, so I tried not to judge a man I'd never met…until now, that is.

"But he's the one that brought me here!" I cried, sitting up on the bed. "Why would he insist on keeping me safe when-" I stopped and thought. "Of course, the ransom," I muttered to myself, looking down at my lap.

"What ransom?" asked a puzzled Mr. Gibbs.

"The one the Captain obviously wants in exchange for me, of course!" I snapped, stating the obvious. "Why else would I be here?"

"I don't rightly know, missy," the elderly man admitted. "Though the captain went through an awful lot to get ye. You might want to ask him about it when he comes to check on you this evening."

"Why isn't he coming to check on me now?" I couldn't help but ask.

"He's busy at the helm, taking us to port so we can spend out earnings." Mr. Gibbs smiled at that. "You can rest more, if ye like. I'll bring ye something to eat later, and then we can have another chat."

For some reason, the idea of having a chat with this man didn't repulse or terrify me; I was actually looking forward to talking to this man and listening to the things he had to say. He seemed like such a nice man…perhaps he had some influence on the captain and could get me out of this terrible situation quickly and painlessly? I certainly hoped so, but in order for that idea to work, I had to make a friend or two whenever I could. Something told me that Mr. Gibbs was an important person on this ship, and having him on my side could work out very well for me indeed.

I smiled at him. "I look forward to see you again soon, Mr. Gibbs," I said, entirely truthful on the matter.

He grinned at me and stood up, leaving the bottle and the rag at the side of the bed. "You might need these again later," Mr. Gibbs said as he walked towards the door. "Don't know what Samuel was thinking when he hit ye, but Captain Sparrow's had a few words with the lad, so don't you worry about being hurt anymore while yer here."

I nodded and he gave me a quick bow before leaving. I was surprised that a pirate could show such kindness and consideration for a female prisoner, not to mention knowing some manners as well! I wonder how many more surprises were in store for me while I was kept aboard this ship. I felt sleep tickle my mind and knew it was time for more rest. I slowly shut my eyes and rifted off into blackness.

* * *

_Fifteen Minutes Later: Jack's POV_:

Jack had seen Gibbs exit the main cabin and had pressed for news about their new guest. He had known that the bump Sam had given the girl would be evident, and had sent Gibbs down to deal with it. While his first mate was doing that, Jack had taken the lad aside and given him a sound lecture on how to handle prisoners…especially prisoners that the Captain happened to be interested in. Sam was presently cleaning out the privy as punishment, and would have scrubbing duty for the next week for what he'd done. Suddenly, he felt anxious to check on the young lady he'd taken the night before. Handing over the helm to Gibbs, Jack swayed down the steps from the helm and entered his quarters. Looking down at the bed, Jack felt his groin tighten at the sight that lay before him.

She was asleep, and was therefore open to any sort of inspection he might wish to perform on her. Jack risked a glance towards her face and saw how pale her skin was, likely from the lack of sun in England. Her brown hair was thick and had a slight wave to it, curling in gently at the ends, and set off her pale skin nicely. Jack knew her eyes were blue from the previous night's encounter, and he wanted to see them again, staring at him, though not with fear…no, any sort of emotion in those eyes would be most welcome to him.

Reaching forward, Jack twisted a lock of her dark brown hair around his finger, letting unwind before repeating the process. It was soft, smooth, and very well taken care of. He wondered if she brushed her hair a hundred times a night, like he heard most noble women did. It wouldn't surprise him, really…nothing surprised Captain Jack Sparrow anymore. Well, nothing except his sudden urge to abduct a poor defenseless woman from her ship and her family.

'_Now **there's** something unexplainable_,' Jack thought to himself, moving to remove his coat, hat, weapons and belt so he could quietly think within the haven of his room.

Sitting down in a chair next to the bed, Jack watched the woman sleep. He didn't know why he had taken her, he could have had her right there on her ship and been done with it. But, for some reason, it hadn't felt right, not with her parents and family there. No, he'd felt compelled to take her, to have her arms wrapped around him as he swung her aboard the Pearl and sailed away into the night. It was like one of those horrible poetry books he'd read a long time ago, but for some reason, it had felt good to tear her away from everything she loved. And the way she had pleaded for her father's life! She'd fallen to her knees in front of him!

Jack felt his groin tighten even more, and tried to push himself away from such thoughts. It did him no good; all he could think about was this woman on his bed with him lying over her, ravishing her in every way possible before the sun came up. Ah, now that would be a night to remember! He saw her shift position a little, and suddenly the room felt too warm for him. Tugging off his shirt and kicking off his boots, Jack watched as she turned her head towards him, sighing in her sleep. He bit back a groan as he quietly approached the bed.

* * *

_Eleanor's POV_:

I slowly opened my eyes and saw a nearly naked Captain Sparrow standing over me, his deep brown eyes burning as he looked into mine. I inhaled and tried to get away, but his hand grabbed my wrists and forced me to lie back on the bed, holding my hands above my head as his body covered mine completely, preventing any escape. I could feel the muscles of his body though my nightgown, and I knew that, if he wanted to, he could kill me with his bare hands and I would be powerless to stop him.

"Please don't kill me," I whispered before I could stop myself.

He chuckled. "I'm not gonna hurt you, luv," he quietly replied.

His voice was so soft and rich it resembled a purr, one made out of velvet and silk and fire. I felt a warm hand slide away from my wrists and down towards my waist where he stopped to caress my side. I inhaled sharply, unaccustomed to being touched this way. A smirk quirked the corners of the captain's mouth as his hand continued its journey downwards, stopping when it reached my calf. I felt him tug on my clothes, and could feel a small breeze as he pulled my nightgown up my body, stopping when the cloth was bunched around my waist. His hand proceeded to slide underneath, and I felt rough skin glide over my own.

"You have beautiful skin," he whispered to me, his lips so close to mine I could feel his warm breath.

I dared not move for fear of either accidentally provoking him or encouraging him in his acts. I held my breath as his lips descended onto mine, hot and aggressive in his kiss. I struggled then, wanting to get free of his advances, but his strong hands and body refused to give way. Moving my lips away from his was impossible, as his kiss was forceful and overpowering. I considered kicking my legs when I felt his body settle between them, rubbing against a sensitive spot that made me gasp.

"Like that, do you?" Captain Sparrow murmured into my ear before kissing down to my neck.

"Please don't," I quietly pleaded. I didn't want to be taken this way, in this manner, by this man. I was a properly raised woman, after all, but what he was doing to me was driving me mad.

The captain pulled back enough to look me in the eye. "How much to you love your family?" he asked, surprising me. He shushed me before I could answer. "You either give yourself to me willingly whenever I deem fit, or I hunt them down and show you how brutal I can truly be." Brown eyes met with my blue ones. "What do you say?"

I closed my eyes and bit my lip. My family or my innocence…at least Edward would still provide for me when I told my parents I was no longer eligible for a respectable marriage. I looked the pirate in the eye. "As you wish, Captain," I whispered.

"Jack," he said in reply. "My name is Jack, for future reference." He suddenly had a puzzled look in his eyes. "What's your name, by the way?"

"Eleanor," I answered, noticing that his hands were now moving down my body once more.

"Eleanor." It sounded so _sensual_ when he said my name…and for some reason, I liked it. "I'll remember that."

The next thing I knew, I was crushed between the bed and Jack's body.

* * *

**Rated R Section**_: Author's POV_:

Unable to bear it any longer, Jack reached down and tugged the nightgown up over her waist, breathing heavily from the amount of restraint he was barely clinging to. She'd been tempting him since the moment he'd set eyes on her, and he was going to claim what was rightfully his! It had been far too long since he'd bedded a woman, but this one was going to make up for it, he was sure.

His hands pulled the garment up and over her chest, baring her breasts to his eyes. In all his life, Jack had never seen a more perfect sight. Running a hand over her chest, he savored her silky pale skin against his rough tan hands. Pressing his lips to hers, Jack began to massage the soft flesh, drawing a moan from Eleanor's mouth.

'_Eleanor_,' he thought with a groan as he moved his lips down to the valley between her breasts.

Her skin tasted as soft and smooth as it felt; Jack couldn't get enough of it. He licked and sucked every inch of skin his mouth could reach, savoring the taste of her as much as he relished the moans coming from her lips. He smirked; noblewoman she may be, but she was still subject to the desires of the body. Moving upwards, Jack quickly jerked her nightgown over her head and tossed it to the floor, a gasp of surprise emanating from her mouth at the sudden movement. Grinning, Jack sat up on his knees, his hands going for his pants.

Until now, Eleanor had been unable to comprehend what was happening. Her mind was telling her to stop him, but her body screamed for more. Was _this_ what happened between married couples? If so, then why did it feel so wrong, but yet it felt so desperately _right_. She gasped when her clothing had been removed, but when she saw Jack begin to remove his pants, she turned to reach for a blanket, trying to hide herself from him and his arousal. Rough hands caught hers and forced her back to her previous position: pressed between the bed and a now very naked Jack Sparrow.

Her mouth opened to beg him to stop, but the sounds were swallowed when Jack crushed his lips to hers once more, his tongue plunging inside to fully taste what she had to offer. As his hands busied themselves with feeling every inch of her body, Jack ground his arousal against her thigh, showing her what she was doing to him. He heard her cry out into his mouth and echoed it when he began to thrust into her. As he pushed, Jack could feel the barrier that kept her innocence intact bar his way.

Harder then he meant to in his eagerness to claim her, Jack drove through her maidenhead with all his strength, feeling it tear and give way before his hardened erection. He could hear her strangled cry but ignored it, focusing instead on the pure pleasure that Eleanor was, unwillingly, giving him. As he frantically thrust himself into her, he knew that it didn't matter whether she was willing or not, as long as he had her on his ship and in his bed. She was his, his alone, and any other man who touched her would be dead before he could blink.

As his thrusts quickened, Jack realized that Eleanor was dangerously close to coming around him. She might not be willing in mind, but her body was begging for release. The way her body and hands gripped his and her hurried breaths only proved her need for him to hurry and come with her. Encouraged by this, Jack gripped her hips and slammed their hips together, savoring the sound of their flesh meeting and the cry that came from Eleanor's lips at the sudden change of position.

The end came too soon for him, but not soon enough for her. Jack felt hot liquid burn through him as he came, hard, inside her, emptying himself in one final thrust. Meanwhile, Eleanor could feel her body clench, sending her flying into a place she thought was only meant for God and his Angels. Everything turned to white and colors before blackness overcame her.

**End R Section** _

* * *

_

_Jack's POV_:

He had never had a woman faint after sex before; and yet, it was thrilling to know that he had caused such a reaction in a woman. Smirking, Jack rolled off of Eleanor's body and onto the bed, pulling her with him. He knew what he'd done wasn't right, but it didn't matter. She was here with him, and she was going to stay here if she wanted to keep her family safe. Jack had been bluffing when he'd said that he'd go after them; after all, he didn't know where the bloody hell their ship was going! But if it meant keeping her with him, then it didn't matter that he'd lied to her; he was a pirate, and that's what he did to get what he wanted and to survive. And for some reason, this woman was what he wanted and what he needed to survive.

Yawning, Jack wrapped himself around Eleanor and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

_Ellie's POV_:

Once she was sure he was asleep, Eleanor looked up into the face of the man who had claimed her innocence. It was a handsome face, and he certainly was dashing (in a dirty sort of way), but she wasn't sure she wanted to wake up to this every morning. Although, if he were her husband, she would be happy to look at him all day and all night…but he wasn't. Jack Sparrow, Captain of the Black Pearl, was a pirate, and pirates did not love or marry. Eleanor had never heard of a pirate doing anything but raid, pillage, lie, cheat, and steal in order to get through life, so love was most definitely out of the question.

'_Don't forget **wenching**_,' she thought bitterly. '_To him, you're just another conquest_.'

Tears fell down her face. She'd given herself to a pirate in order to save her family from torment and death, and they would never know what had happened to her or what she'd done to save them. Sniffling, Eleanor closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep, dreaming about how life could have been if not for this man lying beside her.

* * *

AN: I'm really sorry about 'aggressive Jack' in this chapter, but that's how I want him to be. Please forgive me, and I hope you'll all stick with me through this story! Oh, and for more info on this fic and any others, please go to my bio, as I have been updating it more frequently lately. 


	5. The Morning After

Disclaimer: I don't own Jack. If I did, we'd be living in a mansion together in the Caribbean.

AN: It's really hard to write Jack Sparrow fics these days. I've been so wrapped up in my Willy Wonka joint fic with Hallow's Eve that I forgot about this one for a whole week! I hope you'll forgive me if updates are a little slow, but I _will_ finish this story, I swear! Enjoy the chapter!

**Chapter 5: The Morning After:**

_Early the Next Day: Eleanor's POV_:

I woke up with a slight pain in my legs and a very strong arm around my waist. Looking down, I remembered what I'd done the night before, and gasped. The arm around me tightened and pulled me closer to a warm, firm, strong body that was presently breathing the rhythm of sleep. I looked behind me and saw Captain Sparrow with an oddly troubled look on his face, a look that seemed to be one of…regret? Did pirates ever regret their actions? I doubted it, so I turned around again and closed my eyes, letting sleep once again claim me.

* * *

_Hours Later: Ellie's POV_: 

I awoke to the sounds of people shouting and much commotion being made outside on deck. Sitting up in the bed, I noticed I was alone, but there was a set of clothes at the foot of the bed and a breakfast tray on the desk to the right of the bed.

'_Well, at least he didn't try and make the situation uncomfortable_,' I thought, moving to the end of the bed to retrieve the clothes.

Closer examination showed them to be men's clothes: black breeches, white shirt, a thicker white undershirt, and a red bandana. I'd only worn men's gear a handful of times in my life, and that was mostly when I'd gone out riding around our estate with no one the wiser of my actions. Back then, it had been of my own choosing, and I'd always felt a little ashamed afterwards; here I had no choice in the matter, and would have to live with it until I was safely returned to my family…whenever that was.

After I was dressed, I carefully lifted the lid of the breakfast tray and looked. There was fresh bread (not that horrid hardtack I'd heard about from sailors), some exotic fruits and…

"_Rum_?" I squeaked. "They have rum for breakfast on this ship?"

"That we do, luv," stated a voice from the other side of the room.

I whirled around. "Captain Sparrow!" I gasped, spotting him in the doorway connecting the cabin to what I assumed was the bathing room. "How long have you been standing there?"

"Now, luv, I thought I told you to call me Jack," he gently chided me. "And I've only been watching for a moment, don't worry your pretty head about it." He grinned. "I promise I didn't see anything when you were changing." I saw the captain's eyes quickly scan me up and down. "Sadly, I might add."

I backed up until my back reached the edge of the desk. "I'm going to pretend that I didn't hear that last part and have breakfast," I retorted, turning my back to him and reaching for some of the bread. "I don't suppose you have any water aboard, do you?" I asked, turning back towards him.

"Water?" he asked, looking extremely puzzled. "What do you want water for?"

I sighed and rolled my eyes. "To _drink_, Captain," I said, exasperated with his thick-headedness. "You can't seriously expect me to drink nothing but rum while I'm here!"

The captain simply looked offended at my words. "What's wrong with rum?" he asked, his brow furrowing in confusion and disbelief. "And I told you to call me Jack!"

"You are a ship's captain, and my parents raised me correctly," I snapped in return. "As captain, you should be addressed accordingly." I turned my back on him. "Even if you are a pirate," I muttered, hoping he didn't hear.

He did. "Aye, I'm a pirate captain, and while you're on my ship, you'll call me Jack," he said.

I could hear him leaving the doorway and walking over to me. I did my best to ignore him, but the feel of his hot breath on my skin reminded me of last night and I bit my lip to stop myself from crying. I certainly did not want this man to see my tears, nor take joy in the fact that he caused them. I heard pirates liked to see others cry; it gave them a sense of power, and I certainly did not want to give him that satisfaction! Instead, I bit back my tears and put some bread in my mouth to keep me occupied. As I chewed, I could feel his body press closer against mine, and had just swallowed my food before my body froze at his touch.

"I'm sorry," Captain Sparrow whispered into my ear.

"For what?" I forced out, trying to focus on breathing and not panicking when his hands gently touched my shoulders.

"For if I hurt you last night," he answered, his hands now rubbing my shoulders. "Are you alright?"

"Fine," I said, sounding a little breathless.

I really wanted him to stop touching me, but I didn't know whether it was a good idea to order around a pirate captain, even one who had asked me to call him by his first name. Instead, I tried to work on eating my breakfast, the bread resting heavily in my stomach. Perhaps the rum was a good idea after all. Picking up the bottle I took a small sip and gagged.

"That's horrible!" I gasped, trying not to choke on the remaining liquid in my throat.

The captain chuckled. "It's an acquired taste," he said, rubbing my back to help the rum go down. "I'll make sure you get water from now on, though."

"Thank you, Captain-" I turned and saw him frown a little at me. "Oh, um, I mean, Jack."

He smirked. "That's better," Jack said, giving my back one final caress before leaving. "Finish up your food and meet me at the helm!"

I stood and stared as he walked away, his hips swaying in a manner that I'd never seen before. The man couldn't possibly be drunk this early in the day, could he? It was the only explanation for the way he was walking, and given his feelings towards rum, it shouldn't have surprised me if he was intoxicated at this hour of the day. Shrugging, I again turned my attention towards the breakfast tray and its contents.

* * *

_Jack's POV_: 

'_That woman sure is a stubborn one_,' Jack thought to himself as he stood at the helm of his ship. The only other woman who was more stubborn than her was Elizabeth Swann! '_Well, it might be Turner, now, if the Whelp got up the nerve to ask the woman_!'

Jack chuckled softly to himself. Eleanor really was a feisty one, though it was good of her to call him Captain; it'd taken him forever to beat the title into the heads of his crew! Still, the idea of Eleanor always addressing him by his rank bothered the pirate for some reason, one that was beyond his comprehension, and he didn't like it. Jack always liked to know the _why_ of things, and this woman was beginning to affect the way he thought.

'_For God's sakes, man, you've only been with the girl one night, and already she's in your head_!' yelled a part of his brain that always liked to verbally slap him.

He had to agree with the voice this time, though. He had had her for only one night, but it had been on his terms, giving him that bit of power that he felt he'd lost when hearing those whores in Port Joseph five years ago. However, in another sense, it had also given _her_ a sort of power over _him_. Yes, he had taken her and she'd done it willingly, but only because he had threatened her family. Jack had taken her innocence, but in doing so, he had unknowingly woven a web of guilt in his heart that made him feel as though he had to make it up to her some how.

"Wish I bloody knew why I feel this way," he muttered softly to himself. Thankfully, none of his crew heard him and he was free to leave that thought out in the open.

For some reason, his mind drifted towards tales of romantic notions that, whenever two people bed together, a part of them touched and joined the other forever. If that were true, Jack had probably left a goodly amount of himself scattered all around the world by this time. However, the notion probably only referred to people in love (or at least had some sort of attraction to one another), and Jack knew that _he_ was not the sort of person to fall in love with anyone! He knew he was _attracted_ to the young woman, dear God yes, but did not _love_ her! As a rule, pirate didn't love…they lusted, they took what they wanted, and then ended it. Love was not a factor in pirate life; it had no place there.

Then as if to ruin those thoughts completely, Eleanor came on deck, brown hair done up in an elegant bun at the top of her head and wearing the few pieces of men's gear left behind by Annamaria after she'd abandoned the Pearl. Jack had to admit, though, that the clothes looked _much_ better on Eleanor than they had on Annamaria! Pushing such thoughts aside, Jack smiled and watched as she spotted him, climbing up the steps towards the helm.

"And what did you wish to speak to me about, Captain?" she asked, giving a shy smile when he frowned at her using his title instead of his name. "To keep your crew's respect, I'll call you Captain in public and Jack in private, if that's alright."

Jack grinned. "Aye, no problem, luv, if that's what you'd prefer," he said. '_No trouble at all_,' he thought, looking her up and down.

Eleanor really wasn't the skinny, empty-headed noblewoman he believed her to be. When he'd bedded her last night, Jack had been pleasantly surprised by the gentle curves of her body and how easily it was for him to rub his hands over them. He loved women with curves; they were so much more fun then women who were straight as an arrow, with nothing for a man to run his hands over (_A/N: no offense to skinny girls_!). Eleanor had fit perfectly against his body, and the feeling of warm, pale skin was enough to make his body long for hers once again.

Jack pushed his sudden urges down, locking them away for the moment. '_Not now_!' he silently yelled to himself. '_Later, much later, and we'll have her again_!'

Looking out the corner of his eye, he saw Eleanor staring at the sea, a bit of sadness flickering in her blue eyes. What was she thinking about at that very moment? Her family? Her loss of freedom? Or was she thinking the fact that she'd spent a night with a pirate, the one who had kidnapped her and stolen the one thing that guaranteed her a good marriage in high society?

'_Doesn't matter, though_,' Jack thought to himself. '_She's never leaving this ship, not while I'm still Captain_!'

His mind didn't really understand why he had to have this girl onboard, but his heart did. But then, it had been a long time since Captain Jack Sparrow listened to what his heart was trying to tell him. Instead, he simply focused on whistling a tune as he steered the ship towards the closest pirate port.

* * *

_Eleanor's POV_: 

I had seen the lusty look in the captain's eyes when he'd first seen me coming up on deck. He didn't speak of it or acknowledge it, but it had been there, and I didn't like it. I'd already given myself to him once...must I do it again? But then, I'd already agreed to sleep with him until my ransom was paid off. I hoped that it wouldn't be too much longer. I would ask him, were he not steering the ship, and I didn't want to distract him. But I truly wanted to know what he was asking my parents for in the way of a ransom price.

"Captain Sparrow?" my mouth asked before I could hold it back.

"Yes, luv, what is it?" he said, not taking his eyes from the sea nor shifting his focus to me.

I took a deep breath. "I was wondering…what are you ransoming me off for, and when are you going to send a message to my family for said ransom?"

Captain Sparrow jerked his head towards me. "I'm not asking for any ransom, luv," he said, looking at me with complete confusion. "When I asked you to come aboard the Pearl permanently, I meant for good." He gave me a small arrogant smirk. "Looks like you're stuck here with Ol' Jack for a very long time."

I could feel my heart stop in my chest. "Forever?" I gasped. "But…_why_? I'm worth nothing to you if I stay here! At least, with a ransom, you'd get something!"

"Oh, I'd say I'm getting quite a bit already without the ransom," he drawled, looking back at the sea. "Your lovely presence in the morning is quite worth any ransom, believe me."

I couldn't breathe. He was going to keep me here? Why? I was worthless when it came to anything, save for embroidery, writing, and some mathematical skills that my father had taught me. I couldn't do anything aboard the ship that would make them accept me as one of them, and the Lord knew that I did not want to become a pirate!

"I think I need to go lie down," I said, turning and running downstairs and into the cabin.

Slamming the door behind me, I flew towards the bed and buried my face in a pillow to stop my sobs.

Oh, God, why was this happening to me?

* * *

_Hours Later, Ellie's POV_: 

I woke to the feel of someone rubbing my back soothingly and muttering a pirate song that one of my uncles had learned while in the Americas. I cracked my crusty eyes open and saw Mr. Gibbs sitting there, a kind and fatherly look in his eyes as he stroked my back. I managed to give him a slight smile and was rewarded with a smile in return.

"Ye alright, lass?" he asked, looking at me the way my grandfather used to after I'd just received a lecture from my parents. "I was worried about ye when ye flew in here and didn't come back out again for lunch."

I sniffed, my nosed clogged from my earlier sobs. Fortunately, I was spared from asking for a handkerchief due to Mr. Gibbs' foresight in bringing one. I swiftly cleaned my eyes and blew my nose, promising to clean the bit of cloth before returning it to him. He shook his head.

"You keep it," the elderly man replied, winking. "You might have more need of it later." He gave me a sad smile.

"Thank you," I whispered, returning his smile with one of my own. "Mr. Gibbs?"

"Aye?"

"Do you know why Captain Sparrow wants to keep me here on the ship?" I couldn't meet the elderly man's eyes for fear of seeing pity, which would only cause me to cry again.

"He's going to keep ye?" Mr. Gibbs said, sounding as though he were choking on his words. "Well, that's a new move for him!"

I looked up at him in surprise. "You mean you didn't know?"

He shifted uncomfortably on the side of the bed. "Well, I sort of had a hunch after seeing him stare at your ship for over an hour," he muttered. "Jack didn't look like he wanted to give up that ship for anything, I've never seen him so focused on one particular ship, not since he got the Black Pearl back from Barbossa."

"What?" He'd lost me with the last few words he spoke. "Who's Barbossa, and why would he have the Black Pearl?"

I sat up and listened intently as Mr. Gibbs told me the story of the Black Pearl. It was an amazing tale, but I had trouble believing in undead pirates sailing through the Caribbean. However, I seemed to remember a cousin of mine telling me of how the Black Pearl had raided the town she was in, and how they had seemed to be looking for something besides plunder. I loved every minute of his story, and begged Mr. Gibbs to tell me more. He obliged by telling me stories of Captain Sparrow and his famous escapes and adventures. However, one in particular puzzled me.

"Sea turtles?" I asked, not understanding how that could possibly happen.

"Aye, sea turtles!" Gibbs said, nodding.

"Well, what did he use to capture them and tie them together?" I pressed, wanting to know more details of how he had gotten off a deserted island with no boat.

"Gibbs, I swear if I catch the ending of that story, and hear you telling it one more time, I'll pull your ears off and toss them overboard," drawled a voice from the doorway.

The both of us turned and saw the Captain standing there, leaning against the doorframe, a small frown on his face. Seeing that Gibbs had stopped talking, he waltzed in and looked the older man in the eye before jerking his head towards the door. Gibbs took the hint and left, but not before giving me a wink of encouragement. Jack saw the small gesture and frowned, practically shoving poor Mr. Gibbs out the door and onto the deck before turning blazing brown eyes towards me.

"I don't want you flirting with my crew, young missy," he snapped, stalking towards me.

I swallowed, hard. "I wasn't flirting with him, Captain," I said, afraid of change of mood and angry at his indication that I might be a loose woman. "He was merely telling me stories about you and the adventures you've all had here on the Black Pearl."

His eyes narrowed. "I still won't have you acting that way with my crew," he growled as he reached the side of the bed.

I quickly pulled away, terrified at what he might do to me in a fit of rage. "I won't," I said, looking at his darkening brown orbs. "I swear I won't!"

"I'll hold you too that, luv. And for God's sakes, call me Jack!"

I nodded. "I'm sorry, Jack," I said, trying to do something that would make him happy and not so frightening.

A smile crept onto his lips. "Now, see, that wasn't so hard or too bad, now was it?"

The anger seemed to melt off of him as he spoke. Jack seemed perfectly happy now that I was doing what he'd asked me to do. A moment later, he was sitting by me on the bed and holding my hand in his rough one. Well, it wasn't exactly rough, but it had certainly seen a great deal of work.

"I'm sorry for snapping at you like that, luv," he said, surprising me by stroking the back of my hand oh-so-gently. "I just don't want you to be hurt by any of the crew, they can be a violent lot and they haven't seen a woman in a couple weeks. They get starved for attention and a woman's the only thing that can satisfy them at that time."

I hastily nodded. "I'll, uh, keep that in mind, Capt- I mean, Jack," I said, trying to cover my mistake in addressing him.

Jack looked me in the eye. "See that you do," he said, firmly, as though he were addressing a child. "I can't save you from all of them. I'm only one man." He smiled a bit al of a sudden. "Now how about something to eat?"

'_But what a strange and good man you are, Jack Sparrow_,' I thought, extremely confused by his mood swings as he left to get our meal.

* * *

AN: If postings get fade off a bit after this, it's because I'm busy with my newest fic, which can be found via my bio page. Thanks to those who are sticking with me, and please review! 


	6. Fitting In

Disclaimer: I tried to steal Jack Sparrow from Disney, but they caught me, so I don't own him.

AN: Not much to say in this author's note except this: please don't hate me if anything seems historically incorrect in any way; I needed it for my fic to work, so please don't flame me for anything wrong in this story! Also, I'm not doing any preaching against drinking (though I think too much of it is a bad idea), I just need it for the storyline. Thanks, and enjoy the chapter!

**Chapter 6: Fitting In**:

_Ellie's POV_:

It's much harder to fit in on a pirate ship then one would believe. I'd been on the Pearl for a month, and I was _still_ learning how to fit in with those that had never fit into society in the first place! It was as though I had to go through etiquette lessons all over again, and it was extremely frustrating. I'd thought that living in high society was difficult, but learning how to deal with pirates is another, more challenging story all together.

First, a person must win over the captain, which I'd unknowingly done the first moment he'd spotted me on my ship. Next, a person has to win over the crew, which was much harder, as there were more of them. Although I was a favorite of Jack's and the crew wouldn't dare try to harm me, it didn't stop them from disliking the fact that I was onboard the ship. Personally, I felt they didn't like the fact that I was constantly here and, being the "Captain's Girl," I was untouchable whenever they '_needed company_' for the night.

It took a great deal of time, but I was now able to learn how to work on the ship and be worth something since Jack wouldn't let me do any raiding (as I couldn't fight or kill). Since I could do mathematics better than anyone presently on the Pearl, I was asked to keep track of how much each piece of 'swag' was worth in port so that merchants or traders wouldn't cheat the crewmembers. I was also asked to keep a list of much-needed supplies, mostly because the men tended to forget what was needed or eat us out of one supply and claim that we'd never had it in the first place. I'd like to think that it was my keeping track of the funds that made everybody happy I was there, since they were now getting more than what they'd been selling for previously. The supplies probably helped, too, since no one was missing out on any food they sorely wanted. And Jack…well, Jack was just happy that the crew was no longer grumpy or muttered about being hungry all the time.

'_And then there's Jack himself_,' I thought, sighing to myself, not focusing on the paper in my hands. I pulled my thoughts away from the list of numbers and plunder in front of me and looked up, spotting Jack at his desk from my position by the rear balcony window overlooking the blue Caribbean waters.

Jack was a good man, despite the way he had treated me the first night I'd been aboard. Not only had he created two jobs for me to do on the Pearl, but he no longer forced himself on me at night. However, I knew that he couldn't go long without a night of us '_being together_', so I made sure that we had at a couple nights in bed together a week, just to keep him happy. I didn't like bedding the man, but I knew that if I didn't, Jack would get angry, and if he was angry, the crew would know that I wasn't '_sharing myself_' with him. And if the crew ever knew that I wasn't sleeping with the captain, they would likely force themselves on me, and I would kill myself before I let _that_ happen. So, to spare myself from being raped by a mob of pirates, I willingly bedded with Jack, who had grown amazingly gentle during our nightly encounters.

But despite everything he'd done to keep me in good graces with the crew, the only problem that disturbed me about Jack was his enormous intake of rum. The man drank it as though it were water, and I knew it couldn't be good for him. I had first become concerned during dinner on my fourth night here; I had always noticed rum being served, and had always refused, preferring the water we kept aboard. While I drank my water eagerly to make up for the sweat I'd lost during the day, I noticed Jack guzzling down his rum as quickly as I drank the cool water in my mug. When he started his second bottle, I watched in horror and fascination as the brown liquid seemed to magically vanish between Jack's lips, and a memory came to mind.

My own grandfather, rest his soul, died because of too much drink. It had been far too early for the Lord Above to take him, and he'd died so suddenly that it nearly broke my mother; she had barely had a chance to return to her old home to see him and to be at both his and our grandmother's side when it happened. When Father, Edward and I all arrived a day after her, we were told to go upstairs and say 'goodbye' before it was too late. Grandfather had died the same night, and Mother had collapsed when the doctor had told her that, if Grandfather had stopped, or at least lessened, the amount he drank, he could have lived to see at least 80 years of age. I couldn't let that happen to Jack, so I did my best to stop him.

The first time I'd asked him to stop drinking, he'd frowned at me and told me that it was none of my business, that rum was a part of his life and no one could take that away from him, free soul that he was. The second and third times I had pleaded, Jack had growled and told me to leave him alone before stalking off towards the galley. The fourth time, he had yelled and called me many names that are best not spoken out loud. Finally, I told Jack the story of my grandfather and how I worried about his health, that I didn't want anything to happen to him and that I wanted him to follow a path that would help him live a longer, and better, life.

After the telling of my story, Jack had looked thoughtful, suddenly serious, and his eyes focused on something that wasn't me. I had simply stood there for a few moments before tapping his shoulder and snapping him out of his thoughts. In the days that followed, Jack had slowly lessened his intake of rum and had become much better to be around. Truth be told, it had frightened me that he would drink himself into a stupor and become violent towards me. I'd heard of such things from my father, and it had frightened me that Jack would hurt me, albeit unknowing or unwillingly. Now I felt safer with him than before…and I think he knew that.

* * *

_Meanwhile, Jack's POV_:

Jack rubbed his eyes as he sat at his desk, removing his gaze from a map of the Caribbean. He couldn't believe that having Ellie (as she'd told him to call her) aboard could make such a difference in him. In a month's time, that woman had changed the very air surrounding the Black Pearl. The crew was happier that someone besides them was in charge of the worth of the plunder, and had never been happier now that food and rum were now being ordered in a plentiful amount.

'_She's even managed to change **me**_!' he thought, smiling.

Thinking himself unchangeable from his ways of life, Jack had been extremely surprised that his intake of rum had managed to decrease, almost as if by magic. The story she had told him was one he'd heard a thousand times by people and doctors he had known over the years, but this one had been different…mostly because it was _Eleanor_ telling him, and it was _Eleanor's_ concern for _him_ and _his_ health.

'_Never thought I'd listen to a noblewoman more than a doctor or a close friend_,' Jack thought, smirking to himself. He remembered his last visit to Will and Elizabeth, who had spent nearly the whole time telling him to stop drinking himself into an early grave. '_I've gotten myself into a right mess with this one, though. Bloody woman's having an effect on me, like a woman would have on her husband_.'

That last thought was like a punch to the gut, and Jack could swear that he had stopped breathing for a brief moment. He had listened to Ellie like a man would listen to his wife, the light of wisdom and concern in a man's life. But he didn't have the same feelings for her, did he? No, he couldn't, he was a pirate, and pirates didn't love.

'_Liar_,' snapped a voice in the back of his mind. '_Remember Bootstrap_? _How would Will have come into being if Bootstrap hadn't loved and married the woman who eventually gave him a son_? _Bill was too honorable to leave a woman with a bastard, and the last thought in the man's head was probably of her_!'

Still, Jack wasn't the marrying type. Even if he did love Ellie (which he was sure he didn't), he wasn't sure he wanted to marry her. As a mere woman onboard his ship, she was safe from harm whenever they went to land because everyone knew Jack's way of protecting women. What would it look like to the crew, not to mention his numerous enemies, if he married Ellie? He was sure that someone would use Ellie against him as a means of revenge, and he couldn't allow that to happen.

'_You know the crew would love it if you got married and stopped treating them like mangy dogs_,' whispered the voice in his head again. '_You've been up their asses since Port Joseph five years ago, and you haven't let up on them. How do you think that looks to Ellie, seeing you yell at the crew that is supposed to be your support during raids_? _It's amazing they haven't turned on you yet, and they probably don't because they're too scared of you_!'

Jack growled and slammed his fists on his desk. "Shut up!" he said, trying to quiet the voice.

He heard someone yelp, and turned to find a startled Eleanor sitting by the window, a sheet of paper on the floor in front of her. He had completely forgotten that she had asked to join him in the cabin to go over the latest list of pillaged loot they'd gathered two nights before. Realizing that he'd startled her, Jack stood up and approached her, picking up the paper and handing it to her with a small apologetic smile and an ashamed look on his face.

"Sorry, luv, didn't mean to scare ye," he said, watching as she took the paper from him.

"What were you yelling about?" she asked, a curious look flickering in her blue eyes. "Was I being too loud for you while reading silently at the back of the cabin?" she joked, a small smile on her lips.

Jack grinned. "Nah, just some little voice in my head telling me stuff I didn't want to hear."

Ellie raised a slim brown eyebrow. "You hear voices?" She sounded like she didn't know whether to believe him or not.

"Just ones that tell me to do things certain ways," Jack said, sighing.

"I believe that's called a conscience, Jack," she said. "We all have one, and it's usually a good idea to listen to what it says."

"Usually?" Jack was amused and curious now. "Why usually?"

"Yes, usually. Sometimes it just wants to spoil your fun," she said, grinning outright.

Jack laughed out loud. "Too true, luv," he said, smiling down at her. Looking up towards the sea, he noticed how low the sun had gotten and frowned.

"What's wrong?" Ellie asked, standing up and positioning herself at his right arm. "Jack?"

He shook his head. "Nothing, just realized how late it's become," he said, looking back and smiling at her.

She smiled back. "I suppose it's time for supper, then?"

Jack couldn't hold back a large grin. He had a special surprise for her tonight to celebrate the month she'd spent aboard the Pearl, a surprise he'd asked Gibbs and Mr. Cotton to keep quiet (although asking Mr. Cotton to keep quiet was like asking the sea to stay wet: it did have a choice in the matter).

"Aye, time for dinner," he said, reaching out and surprising them both by gently caressing her cheek. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

With a sway of his hips, he was out the door, headed for the galley.

* * *

_Twenty Minutes Later, Ellie's POV_:

Jack surprised me with a formal dinner the likes of which I hadn't seen since my family's noble house in England. Everything had been purchased in secret in the town we'd been in two days before, and had been perfectly prepared by Mr. Cotton and Mr. Gibbs. How they had done it was beyond my comprehension, but it had still been done. However, that wasn't the surprise of the night.

When dinner had been half over, I was shocked to see that Jack had not consumed one drop of rum the entire night. Instead, he had water and a single glass of wine with me, and I felt like the night couldn't be any more perfect. At the end of the night, Jack astounded me with his story about his adventures from his experience, answering all the questions I had about them.

When the two of us settled into bed that night, I felt Jack wrap his arms around me and hold me close to him, one hand tangling in my hair and the other wrapping itself around my waist. I could smell the sea and the sunlight he'd absorbed during the day. It was a soothing scent, and I couldn't help but relish it, burying my nose in his chest and taking a small sniff before I fell asleep.

* * *

_Jack's POV_:

He heard her breath in his scent before her breathing became deep and even, telling him she was asleep. Never before had a woman relished the smells of the sea or of him; they'd only been after two things, sex and gold.

'_And yet, here's a woman who likes the way I smell and who cares about me_,' he thought, frowning as his arms tightened protectively around Ellie's sleeping body.

Not since Jack had been a young child had he had a woman care about him and his wellbeing. His mother had always looked after him, right until the day she died of fever when he was ten. After that, Jack had experienced few, if any, caring females who just wanted to take care of him, and he wasn't sure how to handle it. Sighing, Jack closed his eyes and fell into a comfortable sleep with Ellie in his arms.

* * *

AN: Short and boring chapter, I know, but the next one will be longer, and with better stuff happening, I promise! Please review, I love feedback! 


	7. Right Actions Can Turn Wrong

Disclaimer: I don't own Jack. If I did, we'd living in a mansion together in the Caribbean.

AN: Okay, lots of people aren't going to like the story from here to almost the end because it kind of goes all sad and depressing. However, conflict is needed to make the story interesting, and I hope that people will stick with me until the very last chapter. Thanks ahead of time, and enjoy!

**Chapter 7: Right Actions Can Turn Wrong**:

_Two Weeks Later: Ellie's POV_:

"Land ho!" cried a voice from the deck. Cheers greeted the words and the crew began running back and forth like eager children.

I chuckled a little and leaned back on the bed. It was pleasantly cool in the Captain's Cabin, and I didn't have to leave it if I wasn't needed or didn't have to. The lists of plunder and their worth had been handed out to the crew, Mr. Gibbs and Mr. Cotton had the supply list I had managed to draw up last night, and we weren't due to loot another ship for a few days, so I was now able to relax and enjoy the cool and calm air of the cabin by myself.

As I lay on the bed, closing my eyes for a brief moment, I heard Jack yelling orders in a chipper voice that had become more frequent. It really was astounding how a man can change in six weeks. I never would have thought of Jack having a softer side, but it evidently existed. He tried everything to make my permanent stay here comfortable and to keep me sheltered from the violence and killing a pirate does, and I couldn't help but feel thankful towards him, despite my being dragged here by force.

Even Mr. Gibbs and the crew noticed the change in their captain, and I heard them whisper that it was like the Captain had gone back to 'the way he was before'…whatever that meant. It was touching to see everyone onboard become more like a close family instead of harboring the distant relationships they'd once had. Jack had said it had everything to do with me and with my presence onboard the Pearl, but I simply laughed it off and gave him a playful nudge in the shoulder before walking off.

"Ellie?" called a voice before knocking on the door.

'_Speak of the devil_,' I thought, smiling at the sound of Jack's voice. Out loud, I said, "You can come in, Jack, it's alright."

The door opened and Jack quickly slipped inside, a wide grin plastered all over his face. "We'll be arriving in Port Daniels soon," he said, looking down at my prone position on the bed. "Will you be joining us ashore, or stay here all by your lonesome?"

I frowned a little in thought. I really didn't like the pirate ports we'd been to, and had only gone into one town during my time here on the Pearl. Although Jack's crew was decent to me, I wasn't stupid or naïve enough to believe that all pirates would be the same way, so I decided to avoid the towns all together. When I'd first told Jack about my intentions to avoid all pirate hideouts, he'd simply looked amused (and, amazingly, understanding) before promising that, should I ever change my mind, he'd be happy to escort me.

"You know I how I feel about towns like this, Jack," I said, smiling up at him. "I'd rather stay here, if it's all the same to you."

Jack sighed before sitting at the edge of the bed. "You can't avoid pirate places like this forever, luv," he softly replied. "This is a pirate ship, and its towns like these that take up most of our visits, you know that."

I let out a sigh of my own. "I just don't think I'm ready, Jack. I don't know when I'll be ready, but when I am, I'll let you know." I smiled up at him. "I promise."

He smiled back at me. "Alright, luv, you stay here and I'll bring you back a little gift, how does that sound?"

I nodded and he gave me a brief kiss on the forehead before heading off.

* * *

_Port Daniels, Author's POV_:

Word spread quickly that the Black Pearl had brought its crew and its treasures to the small town of Port Daniels, and the people couldn't be more excited. The merchants and traders brought out their best wares and the whores quickly got out their best dresses and makeup, all hoping to impress the crewmen from the Pearl. The only ones who didn't need to break out their best were the tavern and inn owners, who always had their best drinks out in case of such visitors.

As Jack led his crew (minus two men who had to stay behind to guard the ship and Ellie) down the gangplank, he let his legs adjust to the steadiness of land for a moment before happily heading towards town. After walking about twenty feet inland, the crew immediately broke up to sell their swag, find someplace to drink themselves stupid, or to find company for the night. Jack, of course, headed for the nearest pub and, therefore, rum.

Now, Jack knew that drinking rum away from Eleanor was a bad thing, but he only drank three mugs while away from the Pearl so that it wouldn't smell on him and make her suspicious. Surprisingly, those three mugs got him drunker than the amount he'd had before Ellie had come aboard the Pearl. His lack of alcohol was beginning to take its toll on him whenever he did drink, but Jack paid no attention to it; he simply sat back and enjoyed these few moments of bliss before returning to the ship.

Jack was just approaching the dock harboring the Pearl when he saw Mr. Gibbs approaching with a rather roughed-up young woman with black hair and green eyes. "Gibbs, what the bloody hell do you think you're doing?" he asked, his voice slightly slurred from the rum he'd had.

"Found her beaten up in an alley, Cap'n," Gibbs panted, out of breath from dragging the girl to the Pearl. "Thought we could give her a lift to a better town, after cleaning her up a bit."

Jack frowned, but thought it might be a good idea. Eleanor could use another female to talk to, so why not? He simply nodded to Gibbs before heading towards his own quarters, not realizing that a pair of jade-green eyes was following his every move.

* * *

_The Next Day, Author's POV_:

Moira had never seen such a ship in her life! It was _huge_, and everything was made out of the blackest wood she had ever seen. She was truly thankful that Mr. Gibbs had saved her and treated her wounds after he'd brought her aboard the ship. The old man was kind, but it wasn't him that her attentions were drawn to.

"Captain Jack Sparrow," Moira sighed, looking at the ceiling of the cabin she'd been given.

She'd been told that there were only a handful of open cabins, and she was grateful she didn't have to sleep with the crew. Shuddering at the thought of having to sleep with a room full of pirates, Moira knew what said men were capable of. After all, she'd grown up a woman of the streets, and had been forced to bed several men in her life in order to eat and live.

'_Of course, I wouldn't mind being forced to bed Captain Sparrow_,' she thought, green eyes sparkling.

She'd had a small flame for the infamous pirate ever since she'd been a little girl. Her father, rest his soul, had been a sailor, and had told his little Moira of all the things the pirate captain had done, each of them as amazing as the last. When she was a teen, she'd sworn that if she ever met up with the man, she would do anything to have him.

'_He's as good-hearted as they say his is_,' Moira thought to herself, chewing her lower lip. '_He even said hello to me this morning and asked about my wounds_!' She sighed dreamily. '_I could have kissed him right then and there, if that other woman hadn't been standing right next to him, watching us_!'

Green eyes narrowed to slits. _Eleanor_ was the name of the other woman, the one Captain Sparrow had his arm around as they walked around the ship, talking about some sort of list with numbers on it. What would a pirate have to do with such a boring topic like lists of numbers? It boggled Moira's mind, but what angered and confused her most was the brown-haired, blue-eyed woman who could make Captain Sparrow smile so easily with only a few words!

'_What does **she** have that **I** don't_? _She's not that pretty; in fact, she's rather plain_!' Moira gritted her teeth. '_I won't let some plain-faced wench get in my way. I've wanted to meet Jack Sparrow for over ten years, and I won't let this girl stop me_! _I'll get Captain Sparrow if it's the last thing I do_!'

And she knew exactly how to do it.

* * *

_Two Days Later: Eleanor's POV_:

I looked up from my list of numbers and smiled as Moira entered the cabin, a shy smile on her face. "What can I do for you, Moira?" I asked, happy that the girl was recovering from her wounds.

"Well, I was just curious as to what the famous Jack Sparrow's cabin looked like," she shyly replied, glancing around the room. "Why are you in here? Do you share the cabin with the captain?"

"Yes, I do," I replied, leaning back in my chair. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, you just don't seem the type who would share a cabin," Moira said, still looking around. "What's in there?" She pointed to a cabinet.

"Well, not much, just empty alcohol bottles," I replied, smiling at her questions.

"Empty? But I thought Captain Sparrow loved his rum!" she gasped, looking at me in shock.

"He did, but I've gotten him to stop drinking so much," I said, sighing. "It really wasn't good for him, and I just wanted him to live a longer life than he would have had if he'd kept drinking."

Moira simply nodded. "Well, I can see you're busy, so I'll leave you to your work." She gave a quick nod before darting out the door.

I shrugged and returned to the list of numbers in front of me.

* * *

_Five Days Later: Jack's POV_:

The Pearl had just had another successful raid, and the crew was having a party, one that Jack was trying hard not to participate in. Ellie was down below in a cabin she'd asked for as an office of her own, and Jack was doing his best not to partake in the rum that was so freely flowing. Eleanor trusted him not to drink too much, and he wasn't going to break that trust. Well, maybe _bend_ it, but not break it! After all, it was just a little rum…

"Care for a bottle, Captain?" asked a female voice.

Jack looked up and spotted Moira standing beside him with a large bottle of rum in her hands. Smiling, Jack decided to bend the rule just this once.

* * *

_Two Hours Later, Eleanor's POV_:

Yawning, I left the cabin that Jack had given me to work and sleep in if I chose. He'd only given it to me yesterday, but I was happy to have a small place on the ship to call my own. Fortunately, the cabin Jack had given me had its own privy, so I wouldn't have to worry about the crew walking in at the wrong time. Especially during parties like the one going on tonight! Sighing at the thought of having to deal with hung-over pirates, I made my way to Jack's cabin to see how he was holding up to his promise of not drinking too much during parties.

I walked up to his cabin door and raised my hand to knock, but could hear odd noises coming from inside. Cracking the door open a bit, I saw something that stabbed me in the heart like hot iron.

Jack…and Moira…together…Jack looking up at her with glazed, drunken eyes…

That was all I needed to see. I turned and ran to the galley, snatching up as much food and water as I could get my hands on before locking myself in my cabin. The food and water would last several days, which was good. We would reach Tortuga, another pirate port, tomorrow, but the food would be for my survival afterwards. _This time_, I'd be getting off this ship…for good.

* * *

_The Next Day, Jack's POV_:

About twenty crewmen with severe hangovers are never much fun to deal with, which was why they all stayed in their cabins to recover from the night before. It had been weeks since Jack had been one of them, and now he remembered one of the good things about never being drunk: no hangovers.

Groaning, Jack opened his eyes and saw black hair sprawled across his chest. '_**Black**? Ellie has **brown** hair, though_,' he thought, looking down through confused and hung-over eyes. Wait, there was one person onboard who had long black hair, and that was…

"Moira!" Jack yelled, startling the girl out of her sleep.

"Yes?" she asked innocently, gazing at him with green eyes. "Did you want a repeat of last night, Captain?" she purred, trying to cozy up to him.

Jack jumped out of bed and grabbed his clothes, furious with himself and his actions. He was lucky that Eleanor hadn't seen him, drunk and in bed with someone else, or else he'd…

"Get out!" he roared, tossing Moira her clothes. "You're getting off in Tortuga!"

Moira gasped. "But that's worse than Port Daniels! You can't leave me there!"

"I can and I will," Jack replied in a soft, but deadly voice. "If you aren't off this ship, I'll toss you to the sharks myself!"

The girl quickly dressed and raced out the door. Meanwhile, Jack searched for a bottle of water to wash away his hangover so he could get some sleep.

* * *

_Three Hours Later, Ellie's POV_:

The Pearl had just finished docking and the crew had literally flung themselves onto land to spend their earnings for the next few days the Pearl was here. I knew Jack was asleep in his cabin from the snores coming through the doors, and was grateful; it would give me plenty of time to get out of there unnoticed.

Sniffing, I finished the note I would leave with Mr. Gibbs when I left. The elderly man was the only one I'd told about my plan to leave, and he'd sworn to keep it a secret until it was too late for Jack to come after me. After he'd told me that, I'd hugged him, thanking him for being such a good friend to me during my stay here, and he'd returned the gesture, telling me that Jack was an idiot for letting a girl like me go. Presently, Mr. Gibbs was watching me finish my note, as my things were already packed and lying on my bed.

"Ye finished there, lass?" Mr. Gibbs asked, leaning over my shoulder.

I nodded, signing and sealing the note before handing it over. "You'll be sure he gets it when it's too late to follow me?"

"Well, considering I don't know where ye'll be going, ye can be sure it'll be hard for him to go after ye," he said, giving me a sad smile.

I returned his smile as I picked up my pack and money pouch. "Well, I'm off," I said, wiping nervous hands on my pants. "Um, are there any…_respectable_ ships in Tortuga?"

Gibbs smiled. "Try the merchants' harbor," he said. "They usually go anywhere with little difficulty, and they welcome passengers who have the coin to pay."

Nodding, I hugged him again before leaving the cabin and, quickly and quietly, the ship.

* * *

_Twenty Minutes Later, Ellie's POV_:

I'd only been on land for a short period of time, and I was _this close_ to being dead. A sword was presently at my throat, and three men were ready to take everything I owned, including my life. I _knew_ I should have let Mr. Gibbs teach me the sword, but we'd never gotten around to it. I closed my eyes and waited for the end, but it never came. Instead, I heard _five_ _other_ weapons being drawn and three people being knocked out or killed at my feet!

Opening my eyes, I saw a dark-skinned, black-haired woman flanked by four other women, all of them with sympathetic looks on their faces. One picked up my pack from the ground in front of me and pressed it into my hands with a friendly smile. I returned the smile and clutched the bag to my chest.

"Thank you," I whispered.

"No need for thanks, just helping out a fellow female," quipped the dark-skinned woman. "My name's Annamaria, but you can call me Anna, and I'm Captain of the pirate ship called the Free Spirit. These are some of my crew." She jerked her head towards the other women with her.

"Oh, I'm Eleanor," I said, reaching out a hand to shake.

She took it. "So, what's a girl like you doing in Tortuga of all places, not to mention all alone with no help?" The female pirate had a look of disapproval on her face. "You should never travel around Tortuga all by yourself, you could get into trouble." She gestured towards the men currently lying dead or unconscious at our feet. "What were you doing before these fools ganged up on ye?"

"Looking for a way off this rock," I answered, sighing in frustration. "I was trying to find a merchant ship to take me as a passenger and get me out of here as soon as possible."

Anna's face suddenly broke out into a grin. "Well, we're off to sea right now. Care to join us?"

I was speechless at the kind gesture. How many people would offer a stranger they'd just helped a ride on their ship? "Well, if you'd drop me off somewhere, I'd be incredibly grateful," I said, hoping that the offer still stood and she hadn't suddenly changed her mind.

"Why not?" she said, shrugging her shoulders. "Becky, get the girl's things. Now, Eleanor, where do ye want to go?"

"Port Royal," I said. "I have family there."

"Port Royal it is!" Anna said, grinning. "Got some friend there myself, though I can't see them, they being all respectable and all. Now, let's get out of here before these idiots wake up and remember things they shouldn't!"

The six of us walked away and headed towards the docks. I was slightly nervous, as this was the same dock that the Black Pearl was harbored at, but the black ship was quiet, telling me that Jack was still sleeping and hadn't a clue that I was gone.

"That's the Black Pearl," my new friend said, jerking her chin at the dark ship. "I used to work on that ship, until the captain lost his bloody mind one day." Anna shook her head. "Couldn't stand the man after that, so I took my stuff and left. The fool probably didn't realize I was gone until it was too late, but then, Jack always was an idiot when it came to women."

I kept quiet, but nodded my head in agreement before following Annamaria and her crewmates up the gangplank and onto the Free Spirit. Soon I'd be with my family again, and I could put this whole thing behind me.

I just hoped that I'd made the right choice…but then, it was too late for that, now, wasn't it?

* * *

AN: I know that I usually write happy endings, but I'm going to go for a bittersweet ending this time, just for a twist. I hope you all enjoy it anyway, though. Please review! 


	8. Two Broken Hearts

Disclaimer: I tried to steal Jack Sparrow from Disney, but they caught me, so I don't own him.

AN: Okay, now the really good conflict stuff begins to happen. I hope that people don't mind if I'm finishing this story rather quickly, as it isn't one of my personal favorites. However, I am _very_ much looking forward to a different **_Pirates_** fic that I have planned, and it will be out as soon as this one is over, so keep a sharp eye out! Thanks for reading, and enjoy the chapter!

**Chapter 8: Two Broken Hearts**:

_Evening of the same day Ellie left: Jack's POV_:

Groaning, Jack reluctantly opened his eyes and tried to forget what had happened the night before. He'd never felt like such a scumbag in his life! He loved Ellie, he knew he did, and by doing that horrible act the previous night, he'd betrayed her behind her back. If she ever found out about it, Jack would stick his pistol in Moira's face and shoot her between the eyes for what she'd done. After that, Jack would spend the rest of his life making it up to Ellie in every way possible.

Rolling over, Jack focused on going back to sleep, planning to avoid Ellie for the remainder of their stay in Tortuga.

* * *

_Three days Later: Jack's POV_: 

For three days Jack had been avoiding Ellie, and had thought himself to be doing a fairly good job, as he hadn't seen her in all of that time. He'd gotten a room in town to sleep in during that time, telling Gibbs to give Ellie any sort of excuse (that she'd believe) while he wasn't onboard. Gibbs had given Jack the oddest look at his captain orders, but Jack had shrugged it off.

Now that their stay in Tortuga was over, Jack was nervous about having to face a wrathful Eleanor. When Ellie didn't shown up, demanding to know where he'd been for three days, he'd simply thought that she was ignoring him as revenge for his disappearance. Sighing, Jack headed for his cabin, happily throwing himself on his bed. He enjoyed a good ten minutes of peace before it was broken.

A tap came from the door of the cabin. "Cap'n?" Gibbs called. "Are ye awake?"

"Aye!" Jack replied, feeling a bit tired. The door opened to reveal a very upset first mate. "What is it, Gibbs, and how important is it?"

Gibbs held up a piece of paper. "This is for you, sir, I was to give it to ye just before we left port."

Jack snatched the piece of paper from his first mate, curious as to whom the letter would be from. The moment he saw the handwriting, his heart sank.

_Dear Jack,_

_I know that you are only just now getting this letter, and by now you should know that it is far too late for you to apologize or come after me. I've left you, Jack, as surely as all morality left your when you fell into bed with that black-haired wench you said you were trying to help. I know that this might come to you as a shock, but I've realized that, in the weeks I've spent onboard the Pearl, that I've managed to…oh, how you'll laugh at me when you read this…that I've…fallen in love with you. I had thought that my unspoken feelings were somehow returned through your kindness towards me, but now I know the truth. I know who you are inside, and I know that you'll never care for me the same way I care for you. I wish you luck and joy in all your plundering and drinking, for they are probably the only things that you truly care about. Goodbye, Jack Sparrow, and know that I will never in my life forget my months there on the Black Pearl with you and your crew._

_Yours truly,_

_Eleanor_

Letting the paper fall from his fingers, Jack stood up, brown eyes blazing as he looked at his first mate. "Gibbs, get the crew ready to go ashore tonight," he said in a coldly even voice. "I want to be out there as soon as possible to find Ellie."

Gibbs picked up the paper and scanned it. "But Cap'n, wouldn't it be too late to go looking for her?" Gibbs asked, confused as to why his captain was acting this way.

"I want to know where she's gone, Gibbs, and Hell itself will freeze over before I give up looking for her!" Jack roared, startling his first mate. "Now get going!"

Gibbs didn't waste any time getting out to follow his captain's orders.

"I'll find you, Eleanor, if it's the last thing I do," Jack growled to the air. "I _will_ find you and make you _mine_!"

* * *

_That Same Day: Ellie's POV_: 

For three days I had been on the Free Spirit with Annamaria and her crew, and each day had been a new experience. Most of the crewmembers were women, and the men that were part of the crew were unusually respectful to every single one of the females. I later found out that was due to some of them being the husbands, brothers, or cousins of the women onboard, and I rather like the system. Anna was a brilliant captain; she could have given Jack some good competition at sea!

As we grew closer to Port Royal, Anna told me that she would hide the ship in a small hidden bay on the other side of the island, away from the town itself. She didn't want Commodore Norrington or his Navy officers to catch her crew. I had to agree with her as I didn't want anyone getting killed just so I could go home!

Before our arrival, Anna (in one last gesture of kindness) gave me a gown that her crew had plundered from a merchant ship two weeks ago. She also ordered two crewmen to escort me to the edge of town. I was extremely grateful for the gown, as I didn't want to attract attention in my pants and shirt.

Finally, the day arrived that I would be going home to my family. As I smoothed the ruffles of the blue gown I'd been given, I thought about how tall Edward might have gotten, or whether or not Father had fully recovered from his incident with Jack. My stomach suddenly turned with excitement as I realized how much I had missed them. Picking up the lovely picnic-type basket that had replaced the grubby pack I had used to store my effects, I went on deck to watch as the shore grew ever closer.

The Spirit soon settled into calm waters, and Anna came along for the ride to shore to keep me company. On the beach where she'd leave me in the hands of the two crewmen, Clarence and Russell, Anna gave me a good luck hug and smile before gently nudging me towards the inland. I smiled and followed the two men into the trees, stopping to give one last wave to Annamaria.

* * *

_An hour later: Ellie's POV_: 

Clarence and Russell had to leave me a few feet from the edge of town so as not to be spotted, but at least they had left me in the more respectable part of the city. I saw well-dressed people and lovely carriages pass me by, and was thankful that my own gown was of equal quality as the others. If I ever saw Annamaria again, I'd have to thank her for her foresight!

Clutching my basket of belongings closer to me, I walked towards a nearby carriage that was apparently waiting for its owner to come out. Spotting the driver, I got his attention and asked for directions towards the home of the Governor, as that would likely be the first place my parents would go to get help in their search for me. Also, I had no idea what our new home would look like, and since the Governor would know every noble family in town, he would be the man to ask about where my family was and how they were fairing. The driver I was speaking to looked at me suspiciously, as though asking why a well-dressed woman wouldn't already know the way to the Governor's mansion.

I held my head up high and put on my best noble air. "I am new to Port Royal, and have not been to the Governor's house as of yet," I explained. "And since there is no one else here to answer my question, you are my only chance at finding it."

Apparently the man believed me to be the noble I claimed to be, since he told me that the Governor's mansion was only five houses down on my left and up the hill; he said it was the only place that had a hillside view of the sea, the town, and the fort. Happy that I was so close, I did my best to walk there in a dignified manner and not run with all my strength.

When I reached the door, I checked to see if I appeared proper enough to speak with another noble; after all, I didn't want to be turned away after getting so close to finding my family! Taking a deep breath, I knocked sharply on the door, which was promptly answered by a butler. Having been in this sort of situation many times in my life, I knew exactly how to act and what to say. Holding my head high (as my mother had taught me), I looked the butler straight in the eye and announced myself.

"I am Eleanor of Kent, and I must speak with Governor Swann as soon as possible."

I was quickly escorted to a sitting area, a maid serving me tea and sandwiches (the likes of which I hadn't seen in months), while another took my basket so that I would not have to deal with it while waiting for the Governor to arrive from inspecting the fort. Nervously, I sat sipping tea while trying to remember all of the proper training I'd received in my youth. My mother, grandmothers, and aunts had knocked them into me with their fans, the wooden devices connecting with my head whenever I made a mistake. If I said something wrong, **_crack_** went a fan, right on the back of my head. It never hurt, just reminded me what I would receive should I not learn what was required of me.

Finally, an hour later, the Governor arrived. He looked rather sad, which (from what I'd heard though my mother's gossip) I thought that was from his daughter, Elizabeth, marrying a blacksmith and leaving him alone in his house. Yet he greeted me with a small, welcoming smile before I surprised him with who I was. Apparently, my parents had indeed appealed to Governor Swann for aid in their search for me, and now he was relieved to be able to tell my parents that I had come home at last.

Ten minutes after a message had been sent, my family came racing into the mansion, their faces pale with excitement. The first thing they all did was completely ignore propriety and gather me in a group hug. Mother was crying, Father looked like he couldn't stop smiling, and Edward appeared to want to hold on to me and never let go. I took all of their hugs, kisses, soft words, and tears in stride, happy to be home with them. Finally, everyone let go of me, and we all took a seat in the parlor, the Governor leaving us in privacy to talk of the happenings of the past two months.

* * *

_That Evening: Ellie's POV_: 

Dinner that evening was a very interesting experience. I'd spent the past two months eating all of my meals alone with a pirate captain, so having dinner with more than one person was something that I once again had to get used to. I also had to remember all of my manners that my female relatives had taught me, as I hadn't had any use for them on a pirate ship. Mother was watching me like a hawk, and I supposed I surprised her by not acting like the slobbering idiot she thought I'd be after all these weeks away from home and high society.

After passing Mother's "test of manners," I was taken to our new home in Port Royal, a lovely two level mansion that was made of white marble, the inside covered with thick white plaster to keep out the heat of the day. I (gracefully) sank into a couch in the parlor, where cold water and drinks were served while my family and I caught up personal matters that we could not talk about in front of the Governor during dinner.

Imagine my surprise at Edward being enrolled in the Navy! Father was quick to reassure me that he would not be sent away from the island for any reason, for he would be kept here as an officer of Fort Charles, and would likely see little battle, as no pirates had attacked Port Royal since the Black Pearl had over five years ago. The small sugar and tobacco plantations my father had won were paying off extremely well, and our wealth was vastly increasing because of it.

"If we were minor nobles before in England, we are the equals of Lords here in the Caribbean!" Father boasted, his chest puffing out in pride at our newfound wealth.

I smiled. My father had a small faded scar on his right temple from where he'd been hit, but I'd been assured that he was quite alright. There had been no damage to his mind or body because of his injury, and for that I was thankful. Father's humor hadn't diminished, either, and I felt as though I had never left home whenever he made a joke or simply made me laugh for no apparent reason.

Finally, though, the day caught up with me, and we retired to bed for the evening. I bid my parents a goodnight, and went up to a bedroom completely decorated in blue, from the sheets to the walls. Edward must have reminded Mother to decorate according to my favorite color, but I could see her personal touches in the gold and silver embroidery or decorations on certain things like the sheets, drapes, and furniture. Oh, well, at least it was decently (meaning _tastefully_) done.

I swiftly changed into a white nightgown and fell into bed, glad for the soft mattress and pillows. I felt completely at home.

* * *

_A Month Later: Ellie's POV_: 

Being home felt good, but I missed the freedom that being at sea brought. I was no longer allowed to do what I wanted or go where I pleased without an escort, which consisted mostly of my father or Edward, as I was not married. However, I was allowed to meet the Governor's daughter, Elizabeth Turner, as well as her husband.

It had been a rather unexpected invitation, since I really didn't know her in the first place. Apparently she'd heard that I'd been taken aboard the Black Pearl, and had insisted that I come over for a cup of tea one afternoon. I willingly did so to get away from Mother and her new flock of gossiping friends, and the Turners and I exchanged stories about pirates and (reluctantly for me) Jack Sparrow.

Talking about Jack brought a huge amount of pain for me, but I pushed it down and ignored it. The man had obviously not cared a bit for me, so why should I worry about any sort of thought that included him? I simply sat in the Turners' large parlor in their cozy house and told them what had happened. Well, I didn't tell them _everything_ that had happened; I only told the general things, like sparing my family by going aboard, and working on the Pearl as an insignificant member of the crew.

Elizabeth had gasped when I told her why I'd gone on the Pearl, and she and Will had pressed for details about my time on the infamous ship. Apparently the Jack that I knew was somewhat different from the one that they once knew. Their friend was kind, respectful, and understanding, when it came to people; I knew him to be colder and more commanding, and Will and Elizabeth were upset at the change in their friend. However, we all knew Jack as a lover of rum, and the Turners were shocked that I'd tried to cure him of his rum addiction. Finally, my escape became the topic of conversation.

"So how did you escape?" William asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.

I was hesitant to answer, but did so anyway. "I waited until the day after a big party in celebration of a successful raid," I said, taking a quick sip of tea to calm my nerves. "All of the men to so drunk, they wouldn't notice if a lion had appeared on deck and danced for them!"

"But I though you'd cured Jack of his need for drink," Elizabeth quipped, just as curious as William.

"Well, this one had a great deal of rum, and you can't really expect a pirate to ignore all that rum," I said with false cheer. "So I waited until the next morning, after we'd reached shore, and left. They never noticed I was missing."

Elizabeth was impressed, and we moved on to other topics, such as the latest fashions, (which, despite myself, I found interesting). During the visit, I felt that I'd found a real friend in both of the Turners, and was glad for it. They were my first friends in Port Royal, and would be one of the few friends I'd ever made in my life.

Little did I know that they would also be one of my only true links to the Caribbean over the next several years.

* * *

_A Month and a half Later: Ellie's POV_: 

Mother had been busier than I thought. She kept having parties that involved me meeting vast amounts of single, boring, wealthy (and sometimes ugly) men. I couldn't understand why until I confronted Father about it. It seemed that both of my parents were worried about my reputation, as I had spent two months aboard a pirate ship and they couldn't be trusted to have left my 'virtue' intact. So, in order to make sure that I had the proper marriage, they invited men who knew about my kidnapping and hopefully did not care about the fact that I was probably no longer an 'untouched' woman.

For once, I didn't argue with Mother on the matter of marriage. I knew that I had to marry, and since my heart had already been broken, I no longer felt the need to fight the fate my mother and father were setting for me. I would have a ruined reputation if I did not marry someone, and I could not risk putting my family to shame by refusing any sort of marriage offer, no matter how lowly the man may seem. Instead, I lifted my chin and told them that I would do my duty to my family and marry as soon as a decent offer was made for my hand. Mother looked thrilled, but I could tell that my sudden submission bothered my father. Still, he did not try to stop me, and instead stood by and kept silent.

One suitor in particular came around very often, and his name was Captain Godfrey Cornwallis of the Royal Navy from England. He was a tall, middle-aged man, with deep-brown hair and piercing blue-green eyes that went well with the bright red of his uniform. I learned that he was a cousin of Commodore James Norrington, and that he had recently purchased a second home in the Caribbean. He was handsome, but he seemed a bit distant for a man who had to get along with scores of other people for a living. However, I didn't argue when he asked to court me, even as he continued to do so even when there were much lovelier women to be had in Port Royal. In my mind, he wasn't too bad, and I decided to keep seeing him, as he wasn't like the ugly, boring men my mother invited over.

Suddenly, to both my amazement and that of my parents, after merely three weeks of courtship, Godfrey asked for my hand in marriage. We had been in the gardens, admiring the flowers (or so I thought) when he formally asked me to be his wife. I was in so much shock that I wasn't able to answer him, and had to wait for him to take me back inside and ask my family for their permission to wed me. Mother had been delighted, but Father looked at me as though he were asking if this was what I truly wanted in my life. I had merely given a slight nod and he gave his permission for our wedding to take place.

The few weeks following passed by in a blur for me. I was tossed around by my mother and her friends, going from one shop to another in search for a dress, flowers, candles, and a church (of which there were only two, so I had no idea why we spent two days picking one for the ceremony). I chose a dress of white silk, with crystals sewn on the bodice in flowery shapes and leaves, the sleeves hanging in waves of lace and gauzy material. It was a lovely gown, and I felt like a princess when I tried it on.

In the days leading up to the wedding, Father tried to talk to me about whether I was sure I wanted to wed the Captain, and I simply nodded. After all, I'd loved and lost, and had no intention of loving another. Well, at least, not intentionally. Jack had never loved me; after all, he had never given me any sort of hint that he had those sort of feelings for me. Those promises of giving up rum and the safe jobs he had given me on the Pearl had likely been gestures to make up for the night he had taken my virginity, nothing more.

And yet, in my heart, I knew that I might grow to love Godfrey Cornwallis, since I had no love for him now. He was a good man, and he was good to me whenever we spent time together, and that was certainly more than most couples could say about their marriages; some couples didn't even meet until the day of the ceremony! I would never have the loving relationship my parents had, but at least I could give a smile at the mention of Godfrey's name without it being forced.

The day of my wedding was cloudy, but without rain. I was taken to the church in a carriage, my lovely wedding dress floating around me like a cloud. I had my mother sitting beside me in order to help straighten everything from my hair to my dress, trying to make me as perfect as possible. A bouquet of white roses and lilies were in my hand, and a crown of tiny white rosebuds was in my hair, helping to keep the veil in place.

I walked up the aisle of red carpet on my father's arm and took Godfrey's hand when I arrived at the altar. Although I knew that it was too soon for the two of us to be in love, I saw in his eyes that Godfrey would do everything in his power to respect and honor my choices in our married life, even if he couldn't bring himself to love me. I spoke my vows, trying not to wish that it was a certain _pirate_ captain I was swearing my love and life to. In my mind, one captain was much like another, but my heart secretly wept at the thought that Jack wasn't here to protest the marriage and demand that I run away with him on the Pearl forever. Stories like that don't come true…at least, not this one…

In reality, I was sacrificing nothing, and was doing this of my own free will. I had no intention of living off of the generosity of my parents or, later, my brother, for the rest of my life. I would bring honor and more wealth to our family. It was the right thing to do.

Even though I did it with a heavy heart.

* * *

AN: If you want to know what Captain Cornwallis looks like (in real life terms, as I think of him), heis the guy from the movie _The Patriot_, who fights Mel Gibson, or Lucius Malfoy (Draco's dad)from _Harry Potter_, with brown hair instead of blonde. Look him up if you're curious. _Review_! 


	9. After the Wedding

Disclaimer: I don't own Jack. If I did, we'd living in a mansion together in the Caribbean.

AN: Okay, several things to say here. One is that _this story will be ending very soon_. I never really felt connected with this story, but I've never left a piece unfinished, and refuse to break that tradition now. I have another that will be coming up very soon (almost immediately after this one is finished). Also: **this is a rated R chapter** (because of a _short_ scene for the honeymoon), but it is PG-13 afterwards. Please skip the marked parts if it goes against your reading preference. Thanks, and enjoy!

**Chapter 9: After the Wedding**:

_That Night: Ellie's POV_:

I was a nervous wreck during the entire reception after the ceremony, even more so than before the ceremony. I suppose that was because, before the wedding, I'd had nothing to lose, and had felt empty inside. Now, though, I had something to actually feel nervous about: my wedding night with Godfrey. Oh, he knew that I was not a virgin, but I couldn't help but feel nervous about what he might think when he encountered no barrier when he first took me. Swallowing hard, I tried to smile and look happy for the well-wishers walking down the long aisle in front of me.

Godfrey (who I just now realized was dashing in his formalwear) appeared to be fairly pleased with how things were going, and was even smiling a bit while he spoke with our guests. My hand was tucked securely under his arm, and it appeared that he had no intention of releasing me before the day was over. I was surprised that he was being so possessive, but I suppose that's what most husbands did during the first few months of marriage, whether they truly loved them or not. I simply smiled and paid no attention to it as I received many kisses and hugs from well-wishers, realizing that this might be a long day.

* * *

_The Black Pearl, Author's POV_:

The crew of the Pearl hadn't seen their captain so distraught in their lives. He seemed to have lost something, a part of himself that he couldn't find and couldn't replace, no matter how hard he tried. They had to admit, the Pearl wasn't the same without the pretty Eleanor onboard, giving their captain something to smile about when the day seemed to turn bad for them after a raid or a bad trading day.

The truth was, Captain Jack Sparrow was both angry and depressed after reading Eleanor's confession of love for him. He knew he felt the same way; he just hadn't gotten the chance to tell her what was going on inside his mind and heart. It made him angry, knowing that the nasty wench that had caused all of these new problems had been let off the hook so easily, but now it was too late to go do anything about Moira. Perhaps Jack would send one of his pirate friends to Tortuga and have them do some unspeakable things to the bitch, but that would be only after he'd found his Ellie.

And Ellie was always on his mind. For the past month, Jack had tried to find out where she'd gone. After carefully questioning Gibbs about what he knew about Eleanor's departure, Jack had discovered that he needed to do some hunting amongst the merchant class. Therefore, he'd spent a great deal of time tracking down every merchant ship that had sailed into and left Tortuga during the days that the Pearl had spent in port.

None of them had taken any passengers matching Eleanor's description, and Jack was beginning to feel frustrated. Still, he knew that he would never give up looking for her, and would spend the rest of his life trying to make it up to her…after he managed to find her and get her to forgive him.

* * *

_Ellie's POV_:

On my wedding night, we arrived at Godfrey's Caribbean estate under a cloudless, star-filled sky. It was a beautiful evening, but I couldn't bring myself to enjoy it; I was too nervous about what was expected of me that evening with my husband. Godfrey was a handsome man, but I wasn't sure if I would be able to please him the way a wife should.

As the two of us walked the pathway up towards the house, Godfrey picked me up and carried me over the threshold and into the main hall. It was a spacious home, but still cozy, for a two-story mansion, and the decorating must have been done by a female relative or friend, as it was elegantly done with no sign of a male touch. I couldn't help but smile at the interior of the manor.

"Is it to your liking?" asked my new husband, his arm around my waist.

I gave a shy smile. "It is beautiful," I softly replied, looking everywhere but his eyes.

Godfrey nodded. "Then let us go upstairs." His voice was not unkind, but in fact sounded nervous and a bit…eager.

The two of us headed upstairs to the main bedroom, where, to my surprise, many of my possessions were now placed. I had assumed that our marriage would be one of convenience, where we would only be sharing the same bed to produce children and I would retire to another room soon afterwards. I hadn't thought we would infinitely be sharing the same bedroom. Mentally shrugging aside the thought, I went behind a dressing screen to change as Godfrey did the same. Once I was finished, I started towards the bed, where my new husband was already waiting for me.

* * *

_Author's POV_: **Rated R scene**:

As she approached, Eleanor was surprised by Godfrey's sudden forcefulness at pulling her onto the bed, into his arms, and under his body. Gasping, she had no chance to react as his hands quickly removed her nightgown, tossing it across the room as his lips came crashing down upon hers. She could feel his hands all over her body, gently caressing every single inch of skin as he attempted to remove her undergarments, as well as his own.

Without knowing how he did it, Eleanor could sense that the two of them were suddenly nude under the sheets, and his arousal was pressed against her thigh. Breaking the kiss to catch her breath, Eleanor suddenly cried out as Godfrey thrust himself into her, her body completely unprepared for it. It wasn't truly painful, but it had surprised her that he wanted her so badly after knowing her for such a short time.

She was unable to continue her thoughts as Godfrey began to move inside her, groaning at the feel of her under him, her hands now pressing against his shoulders. The two of them writhed together, panting in short gasps of breath until they could feel their release together. Not wishing to finish before her, Godfrey gave four very powerful thrusts into her body, listening to Eleanor cry out after each one. After the final thrust, the two of them came together, calling each other's name before collapsing back onto the bed.

With their bodies satisfied, the two fell into sleep.

* * *

_Several Months Later: Ellie's POV_:

Even though our nights together had been passionate, I knew that my marriage to Godfrey would be a somewhat uncomfortable one. The two of us got along all right around the house, and managed to make some sort of conversation whenever we were alone together, but we never truly connected the way I saw my mother and father did. My parents were always happy and cheerful together, but Godfrey and I only saw each other sparingly, which I suppose was due to his military career.

Though our relationship was a bit distant, Godfrey did respect me and my opinions about certain matters. He would often come home from his duties of inspecting the troops down at the fort and complain about certain men being lazy or out of shape, and not being able to do very much about it since he was only temporarily here under the graces of his cousin, the Commodore. After listening to him rant and rave for a while, I would try and comfort him by pouring a glass of whiskey or scotch, all the while offering a bit of advice on what he could probably do about it without really forcing the option on anyone. Godfrey would then look thoughtful as I excused myself to see to the next night's dinner or arrangements for decorating the house, and I would come back to a much happier husband who would be writing out ideas at his desk.

In our third month of marriage, I woke with a nauseous feeling in my stomach and had raced for the bathroom to throw up the previous night's supper. Godfrey had been a bit worried at my illness and had sent for the local doctor. It was then that I discovered that I was carrying our first child. Godfrey appeared to be happy about a child, but I could see that he had his heart set on having a son. I could only pray that I gave him the thing that he wanted, which was probably also one of the reasons why he had married me in the first place.

In my fourth month of pregnancy, Godfrey broke some rather shocking news to me and to my family while we had dinner together at my family's home. Apparently, he wanted his child to be born under the care of the best medical doctors in the British Empire, and he wanted to take me to England as soon as possible, before the baby was born, so that he knew I was in the best care possible.

I was shocked, as it would mean us leaving within the next few weeks, but had no choice in the matter. My parents agreed that their grandchild should receive the best medical attention possible, and Mother was always over at my home to help pack what she believed was needed for an overseas trip and a long stay in England. It was heartbreaking to leave my family again, but I had Godfrey's solemn promise that we would return to the Caribbean as often as we could to show them the baby and to visit.

Today, we were at sea, our view of Port Royal having long vanished into the Caribbean. We would be at sea for a few months before reaching England, and I couldn't say that I was eager to return there after having adjusted to the hot Caribbean weather. Still, if it was best for my child, I would do whatever I could. This child would be born into a rather distant relationship, but I would make sure that it was raised by a loving, caring mother. Whether or not Godfrey received his son and heir didn't matter to me; I just wanted something I could love and who could love me unconditionally in return.

Caressing my swelling belly, I watched the clouds dance by as the wind blew salty sea air onto my skin.

* * *

_Four Months Later: Ellie's POV_:

Our arrival in England had been a bit later then we'd expected. I had been eight and a half months pregnant with our baby, and had felt ready to collapse with exhaustion from the sea voyage. However, I wasn't given the chance to rest my body, for the moment we stepped off the ship, Godfrey put me into a waiting carriage and the two of us sped off to our other home (which was a great deal like the one we had in the Caribbean).

Presently, two weeks after our arrival, I was resting in a private room in the manor, trying to get some sleep. Godfrey had insisted that I have my own room until a few months after the baby was born, and I had agreed with him. The two of us had just been confined to a ship for a long period of time, and had grown a bit weary of seeing one another, so some time apart was rather welcome to the both of us. As my head rested comfortably on the pillows, I suddenly felt a pain in my belly, as well as something wet running down my thighs.

"Oh, my God!" I cried. Instantly, there was a pair of maids in the room, both asking what was happening. I gestured towards my stomach, and one of them ran for a messenger to summon the doctor. I clenched my teeth together as the remaining maid tried to make me comfortable for the birthing.

It felt like an eternity as I waited for the doctor to come with the midwife, but come they did. I continued to be in immense pain throughout the day, and well into the night. Sweat covered my body, and it felt as though the pain would kill me before I managed to give birth to my child. Yet after 24 hours, I was able to bring a new life into the world…

"It's a girl!" crowed the doctor as he held up my squirming baby. A girl. It was not the male heir that Godfrey was hoping for, but was instead a girl to provide a dowry and a husband for when she grew older.

And I couldn't be happier.

I held out my arms to accept the crying bundle from the midwife and looked down. Her face was red, and her hair damp from the quick bath that she had been given, but she was the most precious thing in the world to me at that point. It didn't matter to me that I had birthed a girl; she would be loved and cared for, and I refused to allow some strange nurse or governess to raise and educate _my_ little girl! My influence would be everywhere in her life, and I would love and cherish this precious life until the day I died.

Smiling, I allowed the midwife to take her from me as they removed the blood-soaked sheets and gave me a sponge bath. Once the room and I were cleaned up and presentable, and my baby girl was again in my arms, Godfrey was let in and he came to take a look at our small babe. I could see that he was unhappy that we hadn't had a boy, but he still looked a bit satisfied with the fact she was healthy.

"So what do we name our little angel?" he asked, looking down at me from his stance beside the bed.

I gave it a bit of thought. "I rather like the name Marie," I said, looking up at him. "What do you think?"

Godfrey gave me a small smile. "A good name," he said, nodding his approval. "Well, I'll leave you to get some rest, I'm sure you're tired from the birthing." And with that, he turned and left the room without another word.

I sighed and down at the bundle in my arms. "I can only hope that he'll be a good father for you in the future," I whispered, smiling at the sleepy Marie, who appeared to be looking up at me with lovely, unfocused blue eyes. "Despite what you might think of him, he _is_ a good man."

She only yawned and went to sleep. A moment later, I handed her to a maid before I slowly allowed myself to join my little girl in the land of dreams.

* * *

AN: This story is quickly coming to a close! Please show your love by reviewing! Thanks! 


	10. Family Life, and Return to the Caribbean

Disclaimer: I tried to steal Jack Sparrow from Disney, but they caught me, so I don't own him.

AN: We're almost at the end, people! Just another chapter left, plus an epilogue! Thanks so much for your support; it means so much to me! Hope you enjoy the chapter!

**Chapter 10: Family Life, and Return to the Caribbean**:

_Five Years Later: Ellie's POV_:

"Mama, Mama, look at me!"

"No, it's my turn!"

I sighed and smiled as my children fought over the new toys I had bought for them for their birthdays. I never would have thought that Joshua would be born so close to his older sister's birthday, though he was younger by almost exactly two years. Marie had been surprised that a brother had been born only a few days after we'd just celebrated her third year of life, and never stopped telling anyone who would listen that he had been a 'present' from her father and me.

"Mama, Josh isn't sharing!" Marie cried, wanting to play with the small brown stuffed horse her brother currently possessed. "And it was _my_ present!"

"Joshua, give your sister back her horse," I gently chided him. "Besides, you have your own toys to play with."

"Yes, Mama." My son pouted up at me from his seat on the floor of the nursery and handed Marie her toy horse, his sullen mood only lasting for a moment before he went off to play with the small, tin toy soldiers I'd given him just this morning.

"Mama, will you make my hair pretty for when Father comes home?" Marie asked, her eyes not leaving the stuffed horse that she now had 'galloping' across the floor.

I did my best not to wince. "Of course, darling," I said, trying to sound cheery. "We'll all look very pretty when your father comes home tonight."

"I don't want to be _pretty_!" Joshua quipped from his ring of soldiers, glaring hurtfully at me.

Laughing, I stood up and went over to swoop up my son in a huge hug. "Alright, I'll make _you_ handsome, and your sister and myself pretty," I said, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "What do you say to that?"

Josh nodded. "All right, Mama," he said, smiling up at me with sparkling blue eyes, framed with soft brown eyelashes. Feeling my heart swell up with love for my son, I put him back down and knelt beside him to watch him play. It wasn't long until Marie wandered over and the two of them played out a battle for my entertainment.

Watching my children giggle, play, and do everything they could to make _me_ laugh, I couldn't help but feel like the luckiest mother in the world. I had gone against the traditions of the aristocracy and actually raised my children myself, away from nurses and governesses whose job it was to raise children for the upper class, and to teach them the proper ways to behave around the mothers and fathers they so rarely saw.

Instead, from the moment I had first held Marie in my arms, I had done everything, from feeding to changing diapers, myself. But in order to please my husband and to appear in good standing among our friends, I kept only one friendly, elderly woman as an aid for whenever I felt the need to relax alone or to watch the little ones as they napped during the afternoons. Mrs. Leaf was a lovely woman to have around, and the children felt that she was a playmate that never left the house.

But even though I loved my children more than anything, my only wish was for Godfrey to have more of a hand in their upbringing. He was a good man, and he was a good husband to me. He never raised a hand to me or hurt my feelings intentionally, but I was saddened to see that Godfrey refused to help me with Marie and Joshua. He had come very close to forbidding my own involvement in the children's lives, but after seeing my crushed expression, had taken it back and allowed me to do what I wished. It saddened me that Godfrey would be such a distant person in their lives, but I didn't want to cause trouble between us, as it would likely worry the children. I let it go and set out to live life the way that I saw fit.

"Mama, Joshua cheated!" whined Marie, who was sitting there with a small pout on her adorable face. Her pale blue-gray eyes stared accusingly at her younger brother before she stuck out her tongue at him.

"Did not!" he retaliated with his own voice and tongue.

"Alright, none of that," I softly said, putting my hands over both their mouths. "Tongues belong _in_ your mouth, not out of them, so put those away."

They did as asked, and were soon in another mock battle between tin soldiers.

* * *

_That Night, Ellie's POV_:

As I brushed out Marie's hair, I couldn't help but smile at the bubbly child in my lap. It always amazed me that such a kind, relaxed, playful child could be born to the stiff and formal life of the aristocracy. In my mind, I'd always imagined what Marie would be like if she had been an ordinary child to a merchant or perhaps a person of the theater, where such sparkling happiness would be common. She was so chipper and full of life, and it reminded me of my father.

A small stab of pain and guilt shot through my chest. It had been little more than five years since I had seen my father and mother, since I had left them to give birth to Marie. I had wanted to take her to the Caribbean to see my parents, but Godfrey refused to put her in jeopardy until she was much older. Then Joshua had been born, and I'd been forced to send a letter of regret to my parents, saying that they would have to wait until their grandson was old enough to visit before they would be able to see what their grandchildren looked like.

Edward was a bit easier to see. Despite Father's attempts to keep him in Port Royal, Edward had left the Caribbean and the Navy, and had found his most unexpected true calling in life: a playwright. He wrote the storylines and plots to pieces of work that would later become operas or plays for small groups of actors, and was very popular.

Because of his talents, Eddie was often called to different places in Europe to help give some theaters a boost in selling tickets for performances. I was never prouder, and it made me so happy whenever Marie and Joshua would play with their Uncle Eddie when he came over for a visit at least four times a year. He would always bring small trinkets or toys from all across the world for me and the children to admire, but yet, he never seemed to get along well with Godfrey and would go out of his way to avoid speaking to him.

For some reason, the two of them would simply stay out of each other's way or be extraordinarily polite when we were having a family meal. If we were sitting together in the parlor having drinks or simply talking, the two men would be civil, but they both seemed to have an easier time talking to me than to one another. The few times they hadn't gotten along had been rather…explosive, so I did my best to keep peace between the two of them.

It wasn't until after Joshua was born that I discovered that Eddie hadn't approved of my marrying the first man to ask for my hand, and had thought that I should have married for love. Eddie had tried to stop the marriage by having Father try and talk to me, but since I'd been able to avoid the topic of marriage before the wedding, it hadn't happened the way my brother wanted it to. Now he claimed I was married to a stick of wood that had been frozen and was unable to melt or bend in any sort of way. I simply smiled at him and told him that I was happy, dispite what he thought of my marriage to Godfrey.

And I was happy. I may not have had the perfect marriage, but I loved my children, and my husband was (as I have repeated numerous times) a good man, so I really had nothing to be sad about…

Well, except for one…and it sailed in the blue waters of the Caribbean…

* * *

_The Black Pearl: Jack's POV_:

Five bloody years, and no sign of her…

Jack took another swig of water from his mug and frowned at the map in front of him. He'd tried everything to find her, and yet Eleanor _still_ managed to remain out of reach! So far, Jack's only lead had been a group of beat-up men in Tortuga who had claimed that they'd attempted to rob a woman matching Ellie's description, but had failed because someone (or a group of someones) had knocked them out and saved her. The men hadn't lived to see the next day, since Jack had ordered them shot for trying to hurt Eleanor. After that, Jack had gone back to the ship and the Pearl had left for the sea, looking for plunder without ever looking back.

'_Still can't believe I love her_,' he thought, blankly staring at the parchment on the desk. '_I love her still, and I doubt I'll ever get over her like I want to_.'

The last thought hurt more than anything. The woman never left his thoughts, and nothing he did could make her go away. Jack had even stopped drinking all together, ever since that night with Moira. He didn't know why he had done it, but he did, and it had made him a grumpier person to do so. He knew the crew was worried about how their captain could get along, now that he didn't have anything to take away the pain of losing Eleanor.

'_I've dealt with it so far, and I'll deal with it still_,' Jack thought, looking back at the map in front of him. '_For now, I've got to keep my crew rolling in swag to keep them happy_.'

Pushing aside all thoughts of soft pale skin, long brown hair and blue eyes, Jack tried to focus on plundering.

* * *

_England: Ellie's POV_:

That night, when Godfrey arrived back home after a month of service, I was standing ready with the children, all of us dressed carefully and pristinely. The children hated being dressed up, the both of them longing to be in their comfortable play-clothes of loose shirts and pants. I knew that Godfrey did not approve of women in men's clothing, so I kept them hidden whenever he was home; Marie hated dresses, but would put up with them if I asked her to…like for tonight.

After we had all properly greeted Godfrey, the four of us sat down to a formal dinner the likes of which we had only when Godfrey was a home. Our usual meals usually consisted of the children and I enjoying our meals together in the playroom or in the sleeping quarters I kept close to the their rooms, should they need me during the night or if they were ill. Tonight, though, and every night for quite some time, I would share a room with my husband; there would be no bedtime stories or songs for the children until Godfrey left again…as he so frequently did…

Dinner went very well, as the children remembered their manners and were silent throughout the meal. I so wanted them to talk and chatter like they usually did, but something about Godfrey seemed to turn them into mutes. I knew they so wanted to love and please their father, but Marie and Joshua never seemed to be able to fully connect with him as they did with me. Then again, I spent more time with them in three days then Godfrey did when he was home for three months.

Suddenly, Godfrey cleared his throat and tapped his glass. "I have an important announcement to make," he said, sounding as though he were stating something in front of Parliament. Once he was sure he had our attention, he spoke again, and this sentence made my heart race.

"Since the children are old enough now, I'm taking the family to the Caribbean so that we may visit their grandparents and my cousin, Commodore Norrington."

* * *

_Later that Night: Ellie's POV_:

The Caribbean! I was shocked that Godfrey wanted to return there, but then, it shouldn't have surprised me; after all, we still had to show my parents the children, and they must have written several dozen letters over the years, begging for us to return. Now was our chance, and I was so excited that I could barely breathe! I started planning what to take and how Mrs. Leaf should manage the house while we were gone.

Marie and Joshua were even more excited than I was. They had never been on a voyage of any kind, and were very much looking forward to it. Marie was looking forward to being on a real ship while Joshua wanted to be someplace that wasn't London. Both of them wanted to visit someplace sunny and bright so that they could play outside all the time. Their excitement was charming, but they wanted to know why I was packing a large amount of clothes that were very light and not at all like what they normally wore here in England.

"You'll find out soon enough," I told them with a smile, very much looking forward to seeing their expressions when they felt the heat of the Caribbean sun falling down on them.

* * *

_Two Months Later: The Silver Blade: Ellie's POV_:

I had pictured us traveling on a merchant vessel, or at least a passenger transport of some kind. I had imagined my children having playmates while they explored the ship and asked friendly sailors questions about the ship we were on. I had expected to be able to chat with other women about different things while the ship gradually approached our destination, and to have small story-times with the other passenger children whenever they got restless.

What I _hadn't_ expected was Godfrey to use his military influence to have us sail on a Navy ship bound for the Caribbean! Instead of other children and women to keep our minds occupied while we sailed, my family was subject to the strict military rules of the ship we were on, the Silver Blade. Marie and Joshua were forbidden from disturbing the soldiers on duty, and the sailors working the ship had been told not to interact with us in anyway.

Needless to say, the voyage was anything but stimulating. Godfrey was in his element, of course, but the children were bored to tears numerous times during the voyage. Marie, as a young lady, was to always be kept near me and in my presence, but Joshua was allowed to follow his father and learn about the Navy and the ship. Marie was a bit resentful of this, but I knew it was because Joshua was his father's only son and heir to the family name.

I was furious with Godfrey for this act of favoritism, but my feelings in this matter were ignored; my husband simply treated my thoughts as unimportant and proceeded to favor Joshua during our voyage. Inside the cabin, I secretly taught Marie as much about history, science, math, and other unladylike topics as possible; I _would_ _not_ have my daughter brought up as a beautiful, empty-headed, weak fool, subject to society and to dominating, crafty men. Marie was grateful for the distractions, and absorbed everything I taught her almost as fast as I could teach her.

Finally, when there was nothing left for Godfrey to teach our son about the ship, Joshua was put back into my care and I began to help him with his numbers and letters. Both of my children were extremely bright, and did all they could to try and outsmart each other, especially when I was there so I could correct any wrongly memorized information. I laughed at their eagerness to earn my approval, and I was never so proud of them.

As I tucked them into bed that night, a week away from Port Royal, I smiled down at their sleeping faces. I knew that I was a good mother, and that I loved and cared for them as a mother should, but I knew that something was missing in their lives. Godfrey did his best to be a good husband and father, and to raise our children according to society's rules, but I wanted a more solid fatherly figure in their lives. It hurt that they wouldn't have a father to dote on them like my own had done with Edward and me, but I felt that it was better to have a bad father than no father at all.

At least, that's what I told myself every night, before I went to sleep beside my husband, when he was home with us.

* * *

_Midnight, The Black Pearl: Jack's POV_:

Carefully watching their prey, Jack smirked as the small Navy ship floated several hundred feet away from the Pearl. Normally, Jack wouldn't be foolish enough to attack the Navy, but Commodore Norrington had been a substantial pain in the ass the past two years, and Jack had every intention of paying the dear Commodore back for all of the interfering the Navy man had done.

"Gibbs!" he hollered.

The elderly man hurried to his captain's side. "Aye, sir?" he asked, following Jack's gaze at the sea.

"Get the crew ready," Jack snapped, turning to glare at the Navy ship through his spyglass. "We attack at dawn."

* * *

AN: The next chapter holds some violence, as well as the ending of the story. There'll be an epilogue after chapter 11, and then this story is over! Review! 


	11. Attacks on the Heart

Disclaimer: I don't own Jack. If I did, I'd be the happiest **_Pirates_** fan on the planet!

AN: Here is the final full chapter of the fic, and it has some violence and death, so be warned! It may also seem like some sort of trashy romance novel, but hey, I'm entitled to end my story the way I want, so there (winks). After this chapter is an epilogue and that'll be it! There will be no sequel, I'm sorry to say, but keep a sharp eye out for my newest Pirates fic; it'll be good! Enjoy the chapter!

**Chapter 11: Attacks on the Heart**:

_The Next Morning, Ellie's POV_:

Keeping an exhausted groan to myself, I rolled out of bed in an attempt to head off another bout of bickering between Marie and Joshua. How they managed to wake up before dawn and get into fights is beyond my comprehension, but they still manage to do it. So, during our months at sea, I'd quickly learned to wake early, dress, and get to their cabin in time to stop them from causing trouble and waking the entire ship at the wrong time. On our third week at sea, the two of them had woken the crew well before dawn; needless to say, the ship couldn't go very far that day, what with the Blade having an exhausted and grumpy crew working the sails.

This morning, though, I managed to make it there before the dawn hour, just as Joshua was sneaking towards his sister's bed. I sighed; he was either going to put a dead fish in her bed or pull her hair, both of which would have had Marie screaming bloody murder and waking the whole ship. Reaching my son before he was halfway to the other bed, I grabbed his shoulder and pulled him away. One stern look from me had him running towards a trunk to pick out play clothes for both him and Marie. After he was dressed, I woke Marie and had her in an adorable lilac-colored dress before the sun rose above the water.

Then I heard it.

* * *

_The Deck of the Silver Blade: Author's POV_:

Godfrey Cornwallis had woken when his wife had just left the room, pulling on his uniform and heading out on deck. Eleanor would be with the children for some time before joining him out on deck, and he decided to enjoy the morning before having to distract his son for the day. He had just taken a deep breath when the sound of cannonfire broke the silence of the morning.

BOOM!

Drawing his sword, Godfrey and the few soldiers keeping watch drew together to fight off the attack until help came from below.

* * *

_The Black Pearl, Jack's POV_:

From the helm of the Pearl, Jack watched as his crew attacked the small group of redcoats on the Silver Blade. Jack personally felt that it was a rather appropriate name for a naval vessel, one that basically _screamed_ that the ship was a military one. He was rather impressed, though, that these soldiers were rather good at what they did, and managed to keep the pirates' attacks at bay. Smirking at the challenge, Jack left the helm in the capable hands of Bobby, a rather promising youth that they'd just taken aboard.

Once on the Blade, Jack approached what was clearly a senior officer. The man was considerably taller than Jack, but he wore his arrogance on his red-coated sleeve, and that made Jack want to beat him even more. The two men saluted one another before viciously attacking.

* * *

_Ellie's POV_:

I was never so frightened in my life. How many can claim that they'd twice been on ships attacked by pirates? The first time I had met Jack, who had really meant no harm to me or anyone on the Maiden; this time, it was likely that my children and I would not survive the day, should the ship fall into enemy hands. My heart stopped as the sounds of swords clashing and pistols firing on the deck reached my ears, telling me that we had been boarded and that it was only a matter of time before Marie, Joshua and I were discovered and likely killed.

"Mama, what's happening?" Joshua cried into my shoulder as he clung to me, his sister huddled against my right side.

"We're being attacked by pirates, darling," I whispered to him, pressing a kiss to his forehead to sooth him. "Now, you and Marie need to hush, or else they'll find us, alright?" Joshua nodded and buried his face in my shoulder.

Listening to the fighting overhead, I tried to calm my children down as best I could. From the moment I'd first heard cannonfire, I'd bolted the door shut and placed a chair in front of it to prevent anyone from entering. There was a window at the back of the cabin, and we could have easily escaped through there, had there been anyplace to escape to. We were miles away from land, and there wasn't any sort of escape boat nearby. I would hold onto my children and protect them from death as best I could; I would sooner die then let another harm them.

As another volley of cannonfire sounded through the air and rocked the ship, I knew that our moments were slipping away, and I needed to do something before…

BANG!

A foot collided with the door from the outside. I gasped as the foot kept kicking, intent on breaking in and discovering what was inside. I couldn't let them, though; the lives of my children depended on my keeping them safe! Gently pushing them away from me, I raced towards the door and began to push a nearby desk in front of it. It was quite heavy, and I hoped that it would keep out any intruders. However, I had barely managed to move it before the kicking grew even more aggressive, and more frequent.

'_Dear God, there's more than one of them out there_!'

I panicked and drew back from the door. If there were more than one pirate out there, there was no possible way to stop them. The bolt on the door wouldn't last too much longer, and the chair would give way soon afterwards. I grabbed my children and raced for the window. I would sooner have my children and myself drown in the sea together than see them harmed by pirates! I'd just pried the window open and readied myself and the children to jump when the door flew open, the bolt and the chair flying across the room. Taking a deep breath, I opened my mouth to instruct Marie and Joshua to hold their breath when a familiar voice stopped me in my tracks.

"Miss Ellie! What are you doing?"

I let out a scream and turned around, my children clutched tightly in my arms.

* * *

_On Deck: Author's POV_:

The fight between pirate and naval officer was not going well, in either of their minds. Godfrey Cornwallis was upset because he hadn't yet killed a well-known pirate, and Jack Sparrow was angry because he wasn't winning like he thought he was supposed to. Both opponents had been fighting for quite some time, ignoring the other battles going on around them. Soldiers and pirates clashed at all corners of the ship, but it was quite obvious that the pirates were winning. The element of surprise and the pre-dawn hours had worked in their favor, and the naval men were unable to keep up in their half-wakened state.

The sound of a woman's scream reached the ears of those fighting, causing a sudden stop to everything. Soldiers looked horrified at the thought of a commander's wife possibly being harmed, while the pirates where shocked that there was a female passenger onboard a naval vessel. Suddenly, a knife dropped from someone's loose fingers, breaking the silence that had briefly consumed the fighters. Instantaneously, the fighting resumed, though the Navy now had something more to fight for: the safety of the lone woman and two children aboard the ship.

Meanwhile, the pirates were beginning to feel unsure. They couldn't believe that a Navy ship would bring a woman aboard, and they didn't want an innocent harmed; they simply wanted to get some revenge for the pain and suffering that the Royal Navy and her Commodore had put other pirates through over the years. As the pirates began to pull back, both sides watched as their leaders fought on, both now determined to win. Both men went for knives hidden at their waists, but neither one used them; instead, the swordplay went on as the two danced across the deck.

Retreating towards their ship, the crew of the Black Pearl was beginning to loose faith in their fight when a sudden barrage of cannonfire from the Pearl slammed into the side of the Silver Blade. The ship rocked, sending the Navy soldiers flying over the port side railing of the ship. The crew of the Pearl was equally surprised, but none more so than Jack Sparrow, who was now staring at a very bloody Naval Commander in front of him. A large bloody spot grew on his chest, and Jack realized that one of his crewmen held a smoking pistol in his hand. It had gone off when the Pearl had fired on the Navy ship. The officer fell backwards and lay motionless on the deck of his ship, blue eyes gazing into nothing.

Jack sighed and pulled a handkerchief from his pocket, covering the man's face. He hated seeing the empty eyes of the dead, and it made him feel a bit better about killing the man; it was a life-and-death situation, after all. As he stood up from his kneeling position beside the dead man, Jack heard the cries of small children and saw one of them race up on deck. A little girl in a purple dress raced from below, her brown hair streaming behind her as she ran. A frightened expression was on her face, her blue eyes were teary from fear, and her hair was a mess. Tucking his weapons away, Jack ran over and swept her up in his arms.

"No!" she cried, struggling to break free. "Put me down, pirate, put me down! MAMA!"

"Marie!"

At the sound of the familiar female voice, Jack could feel his heart stop at the sight that emerged from the depths of the ship.

* * *

_Ellie's POV_:

I couldn't help but gape at the two pirates standing in the doorway. One I did not know, but the other…

A sudden explosion rocked the ship, and I swore I heard a pistol shot from up above on deck. Gasping, I lurched along with the ship, my grip loosening on my children as we all fought to keep on our feet. After the explosions died down and we all regained our bearings, I closed my eyes and tried to catch my breath. A moment later, I looked up into friendly eyes framed by white mutton chop hair.

"Mr. Gibbs?" I asked, not sure if I was dreaming or not.

"Aye, lass," he said, looking at me and the squirming children in my arms. "Are those yers or ones yer looking after?"

"They're mine," I softly replied. "My daughter, Marie, and my son, Joshua."

However, I had no further time to speak, as Marie broke out of my hold on her and ran out the door. Joshua tried to follow her example, but I held fast. "Marie!" I cried, racing after her, pushing Joshua into Gibbs' arms. "Josh, be good for the nice man," I whispered, and to the surprise of Mr. Gibbs, Joshua instantly calmed down; he knew better than to question me at a time like this.

"MAMA!" cried a small voice from the deck.

"Marie!" I cried, running up the steps and right into the midst of the crew of the Black Pearl.

It was then that I fully realized _who_ was raiding the ship. I mean, if Mr. Gibbs was here, wouldn't it make sense that the rest of the crew was here as well? I looked around and saw that the deck was empty, save for the crew of the Pearl and the dead Navy soldiers. I saw the entire crew stare back at me, but the only person I was looking for was presently in the arms of the man I had left behind.

I took a deep breath. "Please let my daughter go, Jack," I calmly commanded. He obeyed, and Marie almost literally flew into my waiting arms. I squeezed her tight and kissed her before whispering, "Don't you ever run away like that again, alright?" I felt her nod as I stood up, still holding her in my arms as I looked around the deck.

There was a moment of awkward silence as the Pearl's crew looked between me and their captain, who was currently staring at me with a look of disbelief. I felt Mr. Gibbs come up behind me, a very calm Joshua in his arms, and heard a few gasps and quiet curses as they realized whose children they were. I felt Marie grow tense in my arms and began to coo into her ear to try and calm her down. Suddenly, Jack swayed he way across the deck towards me and looked me in the eye.

"Would you care to join me aboard the Pearl, luv?" he softly asked, his intense brown eyes never leaving mine.

I nodded and sent a look towards Mr. Gibbs, asking him to follow me. The elderly man nodded, and the two of us, both burdened with a child in our arms, followed Jack onto the Pearl.

* * *

_Jack's POV_:

As he led Ellie and her two…children aboard the Pearl, Jack didn't know what emotion to feel. He was shocked and amazed to have found Eleanor again, but she had two children! Since she wasn't dressed in black, that meant that she was married, likely to one of the dead men onboard the Blade. Jack silently prayed to Whoever was listening that he hadn't been the one to have killed the man who had wedded Eleanor. Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Jack led the way down to his cabin, Eleanor and Gibbs following close behind him. Once they were all inside, Jack glared at Gibbs and jerked his head towards the door. Gibbs nodded and set down the little boy he'd been carrying, placing him gently on his little feet before going to plunder the Navy ship.

Walking over and taking a seat at the large round table in the center of the room, Jack put his feet up on the wood and motioned for Eleanor to sit. She did so, the little girl sitting on her right and the boy happily perched in her lap. Jack had to admit, these were a pair of fine children. Their faces would have been pale, had it not been for the harsh Caribbean sun beating on their faces during the past few months. Both boy and girl had blue eyes and brown hair, but the girl had a stubborn look in her eyes that promised trouble to whoever tried to hurt her family.

'_Now that stubborn glare looks familiar_,' Jack thought to himself, smirking a bit. Out loud, Jack cleared his throat and spoke. "So, Eleanor, what have you been up to these past five years?" he asked. Glancing at the children, he quirked an eyebrow. "Though I could probably guess on my own."

Eleanor sighed. "Would you mind if I told you after putting my children to sleep?" she asked, looking him in the eye. "It's been a rather trying day for them, and I need to explain things to them in a way they'll understand."

Jack nodded and watched as she walked the little ones into the adjoining bedroom and saw her put them on his bed without asking, combing hair out of their eyes and whispering comforting words to them as she hummed a little tune. He smiled at the lovely picture it made before frowning. Those should be _his_ youngsters, not someone else's! They should have dark eyes, and have his blood in their veins! Holding back his anger, Jack kept his eyes on Eleanor even after she had returned to her seat.

"So, tell me about what you've been up to, luv." Jack sat back and prepared for a very good story.

Eleanor sighed. "After I left the Pearl, I returned to my family and our new home in Port Royal." She noticed that Jack jumped a bit at the mention of the town. "After I had been at home only a short time, my mother and father, believing my reputation had been ruined, had arranged for a rather long stream of suitors to call upon me in the hopes that I would find a man who would marry me despite my being 'ruined' by pirates."

Jack grit his teeth. "And you found a man that would?" he asked, keeping his voice neutral, despite the fact that he wanted to kill something at that moment.

"I did," she whispered. "A captain, who just so happened to be a cousin of Commodore Norrington." Jack growled, but motioned for her to continue. "We had only courted a few weeks before he asked for my hand in marriage, and I accepted without second thought."

"Why?" Jack blurted, his fists slamming onto the table. "Why marry a man you barely knew less than a month?" His eyes drilled into hers, demanding an explanation that sounded like something he so desperately wanted to hear.

"Because I had no choice!" she cried, tears pouring from her eyes. "I'd already loved and lost, so there was no point in waiting for love again, was there?"

Satisfaction and bitterness filled him. "You loved me, then," he said, glancing towards the bedroom behind her. "But what about _them_? You let him have two children with you. Did you _like_ it?"

She avoided his gaze. "Every woman has urges, Jack, and I did, at the time," she replied, fiddling with the folds of her dress. "But I never really loved him. I love my children, and they love me, but Godfrey wasn't the sort of husband or father that I wanted for myself or my children." Tears swelled up in her eyes. "And now he's gone and I'm a widow without a way to provide for my children!"

Without thinking, Jack rose from his chair and sat in the chair vacated by her little girl. He quickly reached over and took her hands in his. Ellie's head jerked up in surprise, her blue orbs meeting his brown ones, and he could swear that he saw love in her eyes, the same one he'd held in his own heart for five years. Taking a deep breath, Jack squeezed her hands, relishing the fact that she was here with him.

"I love you," he whispered, staring down at her hands.

"What?" she gasped, her hands jerking in his, but he refused to let go.

Looking into her eyes, Jack could see joy mixed with confusion, hurt and anger. Joy that he'd confessed his love for her, confusion as to why he'd just now told her, and hurt and anger at what was lost because of what he'd done five years ago. Squeezing her hands gently, Jack looked her in the eye and didn't dare blink, for fear of her not taking his words seriously.

"I love you," he said, putting his feelings into every word. "I wanted to tear the world apart to find you, but you didn't leave anything behind for me to follow. I was drunk when I bedded Moira, but the moment I was sober, I nearly strangled her for what she'd done." One of his hands released hers so that he could caress her face. "I threw her off the Pearl and spent weeks in Tortuga, questioning every man, woman, and child about you, but nothing came of it."

His fingers stroked her cheek, moving down to her lips. "I dreamed of you, of us together in each other's arms," he whispered as she closed her eyes, leaning into his touch.

"And my children?" she asked, her voice and breath warming his fingertips.

Jack moved his hand down from her lips to her waist, forcing her stand up with him. "I'll make them mine," he said, pressing his body against hers. "Like I intend to make you mine."

"Jack, I don't think-" she was cut off by his lips on hers.

* * *

_Ellie's POV_:

I sighed and leaned into the kiss I'd been waiting over five years for. Godfrey had never been able to make me feel this way, never made me feel like my body was on fire or like I wanted to melt into his arms. I had done my best to care for him, to be a good wife and mother, but my heart had always been here, in the Caribbean, with Jack. I'd never felt this wanted or needed in my life, and I had every intention of being here forever with Jack, in his arms and our children in the next room as we sailed the waves of the Caribbean and the waters of the world.

And they _were_ Jack's children. Though not bound by blood, I knew that he'd love and cherish Joshua and Marie as much as I did. They may grow up to be hunted pirates, but they would be raised by a loving father and mother who would fight Poseidon himself to keep them safe and make them happy. And at this point, life was good.

Our family was complete.

* * *

AN: Sorry about killing Godfrey, but that's how I've had it planned from the start, so, yeah. End chapter, so please review! 


	12. Epilogue

Disclaimer: I tried to steal Jack Sparrow from Disney, but they caught me, so I don't own him.

AN: This is it, the epilogue to the story! It's been a very difficult work for me, but I've finished it, just like I said I would! Yay for me! Anyway, please leave a review to let me know how I did. I know it wasn't one of my best, but at least I was able to finish it without leaving people hanging. Glad so many people enjoyed the story, and keep a sharp eye out for my newest **_Pirates_** fic: _Sirens of the Sea_!

**Epilogue**:

It truly is amazing how life can change so suddenly. Eleanor Cornwallis quickly became Eleanor Sparrow, beloved wife of the infamous Captain Jack Sparrow of the Black Pearl. The raid on the Silver Blade had left few survivors, none of which could answer questions as to the whereabouts of Eleanor Cornwallis. Therefore, no one managed to connect the newly dubbed Eleanor Sparrow to the dead wife of the deceased Captain Godfrey Cornwallis. The two small Cornwallis children were pronounced dead or missing, along with their mother.

The Lord and Lady of Kent, parents to Eleanor, were heartbroken and horrified at what had happened to their daughter and grandchildren on their voyage to the Caribbean, but had made a rather sudden and remarkable recovery from the tragedy only a few months later, acting as though nothing was wrong with the world. Friends and neighbors of the supposedly 'grieving' family believed that the Kents were merely in a state of denial over the death of their child and grandchildren, and shook their heads whenever they saw the Lord and Lady walk past them on the street, bright smiles plastered on their faces.

In truth, their recovery hadn't been denial. Actually, merely weeks after wedding her dashing pirate, Eleanor had secretly returned to Port Royal with her new husband to assure her parents of her safety and her happiness at marrying the man that she had loved for so long. Although her parents had been horrified at the new and sudden marriage, they knew that this was a chance for their daughter to have love and joy in her life, which they could not deny their eldest child. Edward, upon hearing the news in a letter from his sister and new brother-in-law (who he very much liked and approved of), had leapt for joy and had set to writing down the entire romantic tale in a book for Marie and Joshua to read when they were older.

It wasn't long before several little Sparrows were soon roaming the deck of the Black Pearl, their father at the helm and their mother below decks, teaching them all manners of math, science, and literature. Eleanor made sure that Marie and Joshua had their last name officially changed to Sparrow, just so that they would not feel different from their six half-brothers and sisters.

Over the next twenty-five years, and upon retiring from all of his adventures and mishaps, Jack had a rather hard time providing good ships and crews for each of his eight children, all of which had followed their father's footsteps to take up his profession with joy and a great sense of adventure (as well as a particularly nasty streak when it came to harassing the Royal Navy).

But in the end, what else you expect from a fleet of Sparrows who called themselves the Pirates of the Caribbean?

* * *

AN: Kind of cheesy ending, but that's all I could come up with. Short but sweet endings are sometimes the best, don't you think? Anyway, thank you to all of my readers and reviewers, you all rock! My next story should be coming out soon, so keep an eye open! 


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